A clip circulating from The Shawn Ryan Show shows Rep. Ro Khanna fumbling when pressed on how a proposed billionaire wealth tax would avoid simply funneling more money into the same waste and fraud Americans already see. Shawn Ryan bluntly referenced large-scale fraud estimates and demanded a straight answer about fiscal accountability, and Khanna’s answers came across as defensive and evasive rather than reassuring.
Ryan even cited a figure — roughly $600 billion in fraud being discussed — and asked whether we shouldn’t get a handle on that before leaning on hardworking people to pay more. Khanna admitted fraud is a problem and paid lip service to oversight, but he immediately circled back to the familiar Democratic playbook: tax the rich to fund big government programs. That dodge is exactly why average Americans don’t trust promises that more money will be spent wisely.
Conservatives aren’t naïve about progress on inequality, but we know that pouring more cash into bloated systems without first rooting out fraud is political malpractice. The transcript even captures Khanna acknowledging waste — the very same waste Ryan worries will devour any new revenue — yet offering no concrete plan to block the leak before expanding the tap. This isn’t governance; it’s a moral hazard that hands bureaucrats more power and hands taxpayers more bills.
Worse, the so-called billionaire tax championed by Khanna and others has real economic consequences that Democrats pretend not to notice. Practical objections from entrepreneurs and local leaders warn that heavy-handed wealth levies drive capital and jobs out of states, hollowing out the communities Democrats claim to help. The proposed California billionaire tax is supported by Khanna, and yet may well accelerate the very regional decline he lectures about.
If Democrats were serious about helping working families they’d lead with enforcement and accountability: audits, prosecutions, tightened eligibility, and fortified borders that stop illicit flows and protect taxpayers. Khanna said he wants to fight fraud, but his instinct was to simply ask the rich to accept a patriotism pitch instead of delivering the hard policy fixes that actually stop theft. Americans deserve leaders who put ending waste first and only then propose real, transparent funding solutions.
This exchange is a vivid reminder that rhetoric about compassion cannot mask a pattern of fiscal irresponsibility and political opportunism. The right answer for patriots is protecting the creators of jobs and innovation while demanding ruthless accountability from government — not doubling down on the same schemes that have turned taxpayer dollars into cover for mismanagement. Voters should remember the substance of these conversations when lawmakers come calling for another grab at your paycheck.
