How Council Rock Upbringing Shaped Rep. Ro Khanna’s Vision For America

The values Rep. Ro Khanna carries with him have followed the politician with a rising national profile from his childhood home on Amsterdam Avenue in Northampton Township all the way to Congress.

The Bucks County-bred Democratic lawmaker on Monday kicked off his New Economic Patriotism Tour at the Parkway Central Library in Center City, Philadelphia. 

The speech focused on Khanna’s vision and plan for the country as it celebrates 250 years. It comes months before the midterms and serves as a precursor for what his policies would look like if he runs for president in 2028. 

While Khanna, who represents the heart of Silicon Valley in California, did not commit to running for president, he has told reporters he is considering throwing his hat into the race.

Khanna, 49, was born in Philadelphia and attended what was then Council Rock High School (now Council Rock High School North) in Newtown Township.

His Bucks County upbringing, Khanna said, had a foundational impact on his vision for what America is and what it can be.

“It gave me a sense of how you could have shared prosperity, how you could work with people, and get along with people of different backgrounds,” Khanna said in an interview with this news organization. “It gave me a lot of belief in the country’s openness, goodness, decency.” 

Khanna centered his speech, which drew a small crowd of supporters to the city’s central library, around working-class families and how, in his view, they have struggled in recent years. He also spoke of how the Democratic party can help everyday American.

The congressman talked about how many families, including where he grew up, have done everything they can to give themselves and their children a better life but are still behind. 

“Their (young people’s) families kept their end of the bargain, but America is no longer keeping ours,” Khanna said.

The congressman, who represents one of the wealthiest congressional districts, started off his nearly one-hour talk by speaking about how he believes there is a large amount of wealth which only a small amount of people in the United States actually hold. The “capital class” which he called it, is in his view “depriving” working class families of a fair shot at success. 

“We’re creating more wealth than ever before, millions of hard working Americans have little or no stake in that success,” Khanna said.

One of his proposals is what he calls an industrial investment bank. It would provide grants to manufacturers. He supports adding trade schools as well as technical institutes to prepare the future workforce.

Khanna also mentioned a White House Economic Development Council to determine funding for priorities and projects to help citizens and grow the private sector.

While speaking of supporting in American businesses and innovation, he cited the closure of much of U.S. Steel’s operations in Falls Township and the impact it had on thousands of families in the county. He recently stated that he supports increasing production of American steel by 20 percent and moving away from Chinese steel.

An issue Khanna brought up was looking at programs to help young people and families afford homes in their late 20s and early 30s.

In his pre-speech interview and on stage, Khanna spoke of a new “Marshall Plan for America.” The idea comes from the Marshall Plan, a foreign aid initiative after World War II that helped war-torn countries rebuilt and grow the world economy.

Along with free public college and ways to raise wages, Khanna said he believes that these ideas are not as bold as some make them out to be. The ideas, Khanna said, are a “New Deal for the 21st Century.”

The New Deal was put into place by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s in response to the Great Depression. Khanna said George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Roosevelt were the most consequential presidents.

The five-term congressman also spoke on raising taxes on billionaires, citing taxing the richest people in his district at a rate comparable to average citizens would ring in trillions.

Khanna said his example was based on “not even the 1 percent, but the .001 percent.”

Khanna, whose parents became citizens decades ago, said he supports a comprehensive immigration reform plan that balances the economy, a path to citizenship, strong border enforcement, and humane policies. He added he believes the current iteration of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished and policing immigration laws should return to purview of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Along with Republican U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, Khanna was able to push through the Epstein Files Transparency Act to force the U.S. Department of Justice to release files on the deceased financier and child sex offender who is tied to key figures in business and politics, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and businessman Les Wexner.

“It exposed this Epstein class and how they were totally immune from prosecution even though they were abusing young girls or covering that up,” Khanna said.

The congressman said the Trump administration should release files that are not yet public on Epstein. He pointed to criminal charges and actions taken by officials in other countries in recent months against those connected to Epstein.

Khanna, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, stated that many of his ideals, including those opposing unnecessary foreign wars, are similar to former presidents, like Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

“Our nation was not founded to seek foreign wars,” Khanna said while later echoing the words of Jefferson to further his point. “America should be for peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling the alliances with none.” 

The topic of data centers, which is something that has become a heated debate across the country, was also covered in the talk after an audience member asked him for his view on them. 

“I’m more opposed to data centers than for them. I think it should be for every community to decide,” said Khanna.

He added that his district has deep tech roots and there needs to be more scrutiny on the actions of large companies with so much influence, including looking at the influence social media algorithms have on society.

Khanna spoke about the topic of Israel and Palestine and was asked questions on his stance by the public.

“I believe Israel has a right to exist as a secure, Jewish, democratic state. And we need a Palestinian state that will end the occupation and that will give dignity and equality to Palestinians,” Khanna said, calling Israel’s actions against the Palestinian civilian population a “genocide.”

Khanna recently was in the news for visiting the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank and being blocked by Israeli settlers before the U.S. Embassy was able to get Israeli soldiers to intervene.

In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee disputed some of the events during Khanna’s visit and stated that Israel has not “engaged in a genocide.”

Khanna shared that he supports banning political action committee (PAC) and lobbyist money in politics.

Towards the end of his talk, Khanna spoke about what he believes can be done as a country when people of different viewpoints work together.

“We can continue managing decline, or we can be the generation that builds a multiracial democracy of genuine economic dignity, a more perfect union,” Khanna said. “In doing so, we can be, again, a light to the world.”

Theo Frye-Yanos, who was at the event, said he liked what he heard from Khanna.

“It was inspiring,” said Frye-Yanos. “I think he’s hitting on the major issues and I appreciate that … he does seem like somebody with integrity, which I think is an important trait.”

As part of his tour, Khanna is visiting towns across the state through Saturday, including Erie, Greene County, Pittsburgh, State College, and Harrisburg. He spoke in Upper Bucks County Wednesday.

“California can keep you. You’re their problem now,” the Pennsylvania Republican Party said in response to Khanna’s visit to the Keystone State. “The statute of limitations on your PA residency has expired.”