Rep. Ro Khanna of California’s 17th congressional district has addressed significant layoffs in the manufacturing sector through a series of tweets on April 5, 2025. Khanna has been serving in Congress since 2017, succeeding Mike Honda, with his career background rooted in academia with degrees from the University of Chicago and Yale University.
On April 5, 2025, Khanna took to Twitter to discuss the closure of Summit Interconnect in Santa Ana, California, resulting in the loss of 74 jobs. He emphasized, “Semiconductor manufacturer Summit Interconnect closed in Santa Ana, California, costing 74 people their jobs. Congress needs to invest in manufacturing to guide the U.S. into leading semiconductor manufacturing.”
In another tweet from the same day, Khanna pointed out layoffs in the agricultural machinery industry. He highlighted that John Deere laid off nine workers at its facility in Ankeny, Iowa, mentioning the broader context of layoffs in U.S. branches of the company. Additionally, Khanna noted the company’s concerns regarding tariffs, stating, “As part of mass layoffs to the US branches, tractor manufacturer John Deere laid off 9 workers from its Ankeny, Iowa, facility. The company has also voiced concerns over the impact of Trump’s tariffs on production.”
Khanna further discussed the situation in the coal industry with another tweet on April 5, 2025. He reported the closure of a Wilson Creek Energy LLC plant in Friedens, Pennsylvania, leading to 332 job cuts. An additional 93 workers were affected by the closure of the company’s plant in Grantsville, Maryland. His post read, “Coal manufacturer Wilson Creek Energy LLC cut 332 jobs after closing their plant in Friedens, PA. Another 93 workers were cut when the Grantsville, Maryland plant closed.”
