U.S. Rep. Khanna, of California, returns home to Bucks County to blast the president and Republicans over budget cuts

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U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna returned “home” Sunday to speak with residents at what was billed as a “town hall,” in a jab at U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who represents the district.

The event, titled “Benefits Over Billionaires,” was held at Heritage Hall in Levittown and drew over 300 community members.

The Democrat, who now represents California in Congress, was born in Philadelphia to immigrant Indian parents. He grew up in Bucks County, graduating from the Council Rock School District in Newtown. He recounted running for student council in high school — a race he lost — and the impact his teachers had on him.

“It’s good to be back in Bucks County where my political career really started,” he said. “I believe in America because Bucks County believed in me.”

In his speech, Khanna, who represents California’s 17th District in the heart of Silicon Valley, spoke about bringing manufacturing and skilled labor “back” to Pennsylvania.

“We need to take the robotics and industry from Silicon Valley and combine it with the industrial capacity and work ethic of places in Pennsylvania to build the modern steel plants, to build the modern aluminum plants, to build modern biotechnology, to industrialize this country in places that have been hollowed out,” he said. “Not everyone needs to go to college … we also need skilled trades and an investment in the skilled trades so that we can have a vibrant economy.”

While Khanna does not represent any part of Pennsylvania in Congress, his participation was framed by organizers as a way to fill what they see as a gap in direct constituent engagement in the district. Khanna answered a variety of concerns about health care, artificial intelligence, voting rights and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. The event was held amid ongoing budget negotiations in Congress, with proposed funding cuts to social programs drawing scrutiny from progressive lawmakers and advocacy groups.

Many at the forum expressed worry about possible cuts to Medicaid and Medicare in the federal budget. Dr. Bonnie Eldredge from Langhorne said her husband, a veteran with frontotemporal dementia, won’t be able to get the health care he needs.

“I’m concerned about our veterans,” she said. “I’m concerned about people with mental health issues like dementia who are going to not get the care that they need.”

Khanna responded that her story put “things into context.”

“These are real people’s lives that are being affected and we can do something about it,” he said. “We have a bill that we are considering in the Congress that will have $715 billion of cuts in Medicaid. It’s the largest cut in Medicaid in the program’s history since Lyndon Johnson created it. And that is going to hurt the services in mental health for people like your husband, whether you are on Medicare, Medicaid, it doesn’t matter.

Sophia, a sixth grader, asked Khanna if her family and friends are “safe.” She said that her class wrote letters to members of Congress and “one of my gay friends … wanted to write about being gay, but he didn’t think it was safe.”

“So he started talking instead of how hard it is with money, his mom is mid-divorce and she doesn’t have a house,” she said. “She can’t even buy an apartment. It’s scary.”

Calling her brave, Khanna replied that “people are struggling economically. It’s hard out there. It’s hard out there because of the cost of health care.”

“But the one thing I know in this county, you’re going to have a lot of people … who are going to stand up for every family, every person’s ability to be safe and live a dignified life, whether they’re gay or straight. That is a value that I believe Bucks County has,” Khanna told her.

Khanna has served in Congress since 2017. He previously served as deputy assistant secretary of commerce in the Obama administration. Describing himself as a “progressive capitalist,” Khanna has focused on climate, economic reform, technology innovation and foreign policy while in Congress. The Los Angeles Times estimates he is worth around $27 million.

‘Flipping red districts’

The event was part of Khanna’s ongoing national tour dubbed “Benefits Over Billionaires,” during which he has been visiting Republican-leaning districts and criticizing Trump, Musk and Republicans in Congress. Last month, he visited New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, another Republican-leaning district.

The national tour has also fueled speculation about the possibility that he is positioning himself for a presidential run in 2028. When asked, however, he said that his attention was on “flipping red districts.”

“We have already a number of great candidates for 2028 that’ll emerge, but right now the focus has to be to take back the House in terms of political priority,” he told WHYY News.

The local event was organized by Indivisible Bucks County, a local chapter of the national Indivisible movement, which advocates for progressive policies and increased accountability from elected officials.

Laura Rose, a co-leader of the group, said Fitzpatrick hasn’t had a town hall in seven years.

“The people of Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District deserve better,” she said. “We are delighted that Congressman Ro Khanna, who grew up in our community, has agreed to fill the void that Rep. Fitzpatrick has left open all these years and take questions from our neighbors.”

Rep. Fitzpatrick’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Other speakers included Pennsylvania state Sen. Sharif Street, chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, and state Rep. Jim Prokopiak. Street introduced Khanna, calling him “a man who represents billionaires but said that billionaires should be taxed.”

“There are members of Congress that are standing up. [Khanna] is one of them,” Street said.

Khanna also took the opportunity to thank local teachers in the audience, several of whom taught Khanna, such as social studies teacher Derek Longo.

“I learned about what made American democracy so special, and Derek made it come to life,” Khanna said. “He was committed to giving young people a love for American history, for American civic education. Don’t we need so much more of that in our country today?”