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Ro Khanna pushes New Deal-style reforms at Suffolk University keynote
The congressman noted that it is now time to build a reform agenda for the present time in a moment when the system is “horribly stacked”
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Mon, 18, May 2026
- 03:06 EDT
- 141
Congressman Ro Khanna at the commencement ceremony / Suffolk University webiste
Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna endorsed the need for “economic hope for all Americans” in his keynote address at Suffolk University’s College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony on May 17.
Khanna, a Democrat representing California’s 17th Congressional District and serving his fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, was in Boston to receive an honorary degree from the university and deliver the keynote address at its graduation ceremony.
Khanna urged the graduating students to live for the country. He said, “Few generations are asked to die for our country. Our task is different, whether we are willing to live for our country.”
The congressman noted that it is now time to build a reform agenda for the present time in a moment when the system is “horribly stacked” against ordinary people and institutions cater to a “Jeffrey Epstein class.”
Khanna highlighted the work he has been doing with Republican Thomas Massie in pushing the Epstein Files Transparency Act and spearheading the ongoing congressional effort to force the Department of Justice to fully release unredacted government records related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Also Read: Ro Khanna to receive Suffolk University honorary degree
Describing his economic agenda as a “second New Deal for our time,” Khanna highlighted the need for taxing billionaires.
He said, “Think about this, 19 billionaires hold $3.4 trillion of our economy, 12 percent of the entire economy... They could pay a 5 percent annual tax on their wealth.”
He continued, “What will we do with that money? Well, we could use these trillions to guarantee basic security for your generation and all Americans.”
A bold progressive agenda is popular among Suffolk graduates. Young people want action more than cliches. Watch for yourself: pic.twitter.com/OwP0Nxxdlj
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) May 17, 2026
Ro Khanna spotlighted what the additional tax income could help fund, including Medicare for all, a housing guarantee, a living wage, workers having company ownership, free public college, an expansion of student loans and child care at $10 a day.
He also pushed for key constitutional and systemic reforms, saying, “Call for a constitutional convention to overturn Citizens United and ban billionaires from buying our politicians.”
He continued, “Impose term limits on Supreme Court justices and expand this court from 9 to 13 so we can actually safeguard voting rights in America. We must end the wars in the Middle East beginning with this conflict in Iran.”
Khanna’s economic proposals also included a push for “the most ambitious jobs agenda.” He called for the creation of an industrial investment bank to fund steel, shipbuilding and battery factories in struggling communities, along with 1,000 new trade schools and tech institutes to prepare workers for AI and digital economy jobs.
He also demanded a federal jobs program to employ young people in rebuilding their communities and strengthening America’s social fabric.
He earmarked his reform push as “a new economic patriotism.” He urged the graduating students to “decide that this country is worth building, still worth fighting for, still worth living for.”
He concluded, “If we provide economic hope for all Americans, we can be a cohesive multiracial democracy and once again be a moral force for the world.”
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