All-In Summit: Ro Khanna on China, political reform, major challenges facing the US and more

Khanna said Washington had a China-access problem: Bob Iger, Tim Cook and Elon Musk were getting more meetings there than U.S. political or military leaders. China had invited him, but he wanted a bipartisan delegation; at the time, Congress had not sent one to the PRC in more than three years. (Congressman Ro Khanna)

On Taiwan, Khanna favored strategic ambiguity and the one-China policy rather than an explicit U.S. war guarantee. (Congressman Ro Khanna) He also wanted Taiwan armed with long-range weapons, Harpoons and HIMARS while keeping U.S.-China dialogue open—deterrence and communication at the same time.

Khanna’s reindustrialization plan relied on federal financing joined with private industry and labor, not simple protectionism. He highlighted a bipartisan bill with Marco Rubio to create a national development council; the proposal authorized $20 billion over 10 years for a national development strategy. (Congressman Ro Khanna)

He backed permitting reform selectively, not as blanket deregulation. Khanna wanted faster approvals for chip plants, clean energy and California housing while opposing Mountain Valley and Willow, and he argued deliberate offshoring—not permitting delays—was the main reason steel, aluminum, paper and textiles disappeared.

Khanna’s anti-corruption package targeted political careerism with congressional and Supreme Court term limits, a stock-trading ban, and restrictions on PAC, lobbyist and revolving-door money. His formal plan specified 12-year congressional terms, 18-year Supreme Court terms and a lifetime lobbying ban for former lawmakers. (Congressman Ro Khanna)

Khanna described incumbency as a financing barrier: he once polled 3% against an incumbent at 60%, yet Silicon Valley backers funded him and were willing to “double down” after a loss. He said that risk tolerance is unusual elsewhere and estimated only 30–40 House seats are genuinely competitive.

David Sacks hosted a fundraiser for Khanna despite major policy differences. (The Washington Post) Khanna cited common ground on Yemen, military spending, the First Amendment and manufacturing; Puck reported the event raised about $200,000, while Khanna said Democratic colleagues criticized him for appearing on Fox News or All-In. (Puck)

Khanna said Pentagon accountability was not a Washington priority, then cited his lone vote against the House Armed Services Committee’s FY24 defense bill. The committee passed it 58–1; Khanna objected to spending approaching $1 trillion and argued that contractor price gouging and campaign money were weakening oversight. (quincyinst.org)