Indian-origin Democratic Rep Ro Khanna of California spoke against the Donald Trump administration’s ban on international students and said international students contribute $44 billion to the American economy, making this one of the best exports for those who care about lowering the trade deficit. Khanna said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick always speaks about lowering the trade deficit and this is the sector that can actually help. “The reality is that you have people like Elon Musk who were foreign students, I mean, they have been embedded in Silicon Valley and the companies that have been created,” Ro Khanna said on CNBC. “Now you like Elon Musk?” the host on the panel asked Ro Khann to which the Democrat said he always praised Elon Musk and his contribution, and the two know each other for a long time. “I have known Elon Musk for 15 years. I have always praised Tesla, SpaceX, his innovations. And you see him now expressing certain concerns. I guarantee he would criticize banning foreign students,” Khanna said. The comments of the Democratic leader came as Elon Musk is ow on a warpath against President Donald Trump though he has not named the president but criticized the Congressmen who voted for the Big, Beautiful Bill which he said would increase the debt ceiling by five trillion dollars. “You go talk to Stanford, you talk to other state colleges, many of them rely on international students to be able to have the employment they do. Foreign students who pay full freight also help defray the cost so American students don’t have to pay as much,” Ro Khanna said. The State Department has paused all student visa interviews to come to a decision on social media vetting. The president Wednesdat signed a proclamation restricting foreign student visas at Harvard University amid the administration’s ongoing tussle with the university. Trump barred harvard to enroll international students as it did not provide the administration with details of foreign students that it sought — but the order was stayed by a court.
