Democrat Takes Swipe At Newsom, Says He’s Flooded With Constituent Complaints About ‘Fraud’
Progressive policy ambitions meet practical realities as Americans weigh costs and consequences.
The usual coverage treats Ro Khanna’s jab at Gavin Newsom as an inside-baseball Democratic spat. But the more important story is what it reveals about a governing culture that shrugs at waste until it becomes politically useful. When “fraud” turns into a talking point, the public is left wondering why safeguards were not the headline months ago.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna is sharpening his criticism of Gov. Gavin Newsom's handling of taxpayer dollars, arguing that $72 billion in alleged fraud in the state's budget is "outrageous and appalling."
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
The usual coverage treats Ro Khanna’s jab at Gavin Newsom as an inside-baseball Democratic spat. But the more important story is what it reveals about a governing culture that shrugs at waste until it becomes politically useful. When “fraud” turns into a talking point, the public is left wondering why safeguards were not the headline months ago.
Conservatives have been warning for years that California’s sprawling programs and rushed spending invite abuse. Taxpayer accountability is not a partisan hobby. It is the minimum standard for a government that demands ever more revenue. If $72 billion is even partly real, it reflects failures in basic oversight, not just bad luck.
This is where rule of law and public trust meet. A state that cannot reliably track where money goes should not be lecturing the country on policy experiments it cannot manage. The principle at stake is simple: government legitimacy depends on competence, transparency, and consequences.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.