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Ro Khanna highlights Indian heritage in July 4 message
Congressman reflected on 'economic patriotism' in Independence Day message.
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Ankita Baidya - Sun, 05, Jul 2026
- 02:23 EDT
- 31
Rep. Ro Khanna delivers an Independence Day message reflecting on his family's Indian immigrant journey and America's future. / X/@RoKhanna
Rep. Ro Khanna, democrat from California, marked Independence Day by reflecting on his family's journey from India to the United States and calling for what he described as "economic patriotism" to strengthen the country's future.
Also Read: Ro Khanna backs billionaire wealth tax, calls it a moral test for America
In a post on X, Khanna said he was "extremely proud to be an American" and wrote that the nation's founders would be astonished by the country's progress on its 250th birthday. He added that a renewed commitment to economic patriotism is needed to keep the United States moving forward and serving as "a light to the world."
In an accompanying video, Khanna said he grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, after his parents immigrated from India, his father in the late 1960s and his mother in the early 1970s. His father worked as a chemical engineer, while his mother was a substitute school teacher. Khanna noted that he was born in Philadelphia in 1976, the year of the U.S. bicentennial.
Recalling childhood visits to Washington Crossing State Park and Independence Hall, Khanna said those experiences deepened his appreciation for the sacrifices made during the American Revolution.
He said the country's progress, from the abolition of slavery and the expansion of women's rights to the end of Jim Crow laws and the embrace of immigrants, represented achievements the nation's founders could not have envisioned.
Khanna also argued that expanding economic opportunity across the country, including in the South, Southwest and industrial Midwest, is essential to reducing political divisions and strengthening national unity.
Khanna has represented California's 17th Congressional District since 2017. The Indian American lawmaker's grandfather participated in Mahatma Gandhi's independence movement and worked alongside Lala Lajpat Rai, spending several years in prison during India's freedom struggle. Khanna is seeking re-election in the 2026 midterm elections.
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