Rep. Ro Khanna stated on a podcast and in a CNBC interview that USAID reductions linked to DOGE may have caused 4.5 million child deaths and challenged Elon Musk to a debate on the topic. Elon Musk responded on X by calling for legal action against Khanna. Supported reports confirm the debate challenge and Musk's ownership of X, while the specific casualty figure and exact wording of Musk's initial post remain unverified across sources.