Representative Ro Khanna, who has served in the U.S. Congress representing California’s 17th district since 2017, posted a series of statements on September 12, 2025, addressing recent manufacturing layoffs and advocating for legislative action to deter offshoring.
In his first post at 20:05 UTC, Khanna wrote: “Electrical supply company Hubbell is shuttering its Wiegmann, Illinois, electronics manufacturing plant in Freeburg, Illinois, laying off 110 workers as some production moves to Mexico. Congress must pass offshoring penalties to ensure American manufacturing remains a corporate”.
A subsequent tweet published at 20:08 UTC stated: “Electrical supply company Hubbell-Wiegmann is shuttering its electronics manufacturing plant in Freeburg, Illinois, laying off 110 workers as some production moves to Mexico. Congress must pass offshoring penalties to ensure American manufacturing remains a corporate priority.”
In another message posted at the same time, Khanna added: “Financialization and deindustrialization policy continues to destroy the American middle class. Another week of factory closures and layoffs wipes out 1,186 manufacturing jobs across six states.”
Khanna was born in Philadelphia in 1976 and currently resides in Fremont. He earned a BA from the University of Chicago in 1998 and a JD from Yale University in 2001.
