Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, sent a letter on June 18, 2026 to Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) challenging the congressman to voluntarily pay $11,635,000 to the U.S. Treasury—five percent of his estimated $232.7 million net worth. The letter responds to Khanna's public call for a federal wealth tax on Americans and his statement that "wealth inequality is the moral failure of our time." Norquist included a pre-addressed envelope and instructions for submitting voluntary tax payments to help Khanna address what the congressman himself labeled a moral crisis.
According to the letter, Khanna's net worth stands at $232,700,000 based on reporting from NOTUS, News of the United States. The median American household net worth is $192,900 according to Federal Reserve data, making Khanna 1,200 times wealthier than the typical American family. The five percent wealth tax that Khanna advocates would amount to $11,635,000 from his own fortune—enough, Norquist noted, "to build nearly ten feet of California high-speed rail." The Treasury Department has accepted voluntary extra tax payments since 1843.
Norquist writes that it "would be obscene for rich congressmen to demand such sacrifice from others without leading by example." The letter warns that while Khanna has less than a billion dollars, "these sort of 'tax the rich' plans have always in American history spread to lower income targets rather rapidly." According to Norquist, Khanna's voluntary wealth tax payment "will serve as a powerful example in your pursuit of wealth tax imposition nationwide." The Americans for Tax Reform president also notes that Khanna should "be prepared to welcome federal revenue personnel onto your property in order to produce a comprehensive inventory of all taxable assets including family heirlooms, artwork, jewelry, vintage comic books and Mickey Mantle rookie cards."
The letter highlights the practical complications of implementing a wealth tax while challenging the consistency of wealthy lawmakers who advocate for such policies. By focusing on Khanna's personal wealth relative to typical Americans, Norquist frames the congressman's wealth tax proposal as potentially hypocritical unless he demonstrates willingness to pay it himself first. The inclusion of specific implementation details—like comprehensive asset inventories conducted by IRS personnel and contractors—underscores the invasive nature of wealth tax enforcement that would affect all Americans subject to the tax, not just billionaires.
Norquist offered to help Khanna spread the word on social media if the congressman captures the moment when he drops his payment into the mailbox, and reminded him that he can also make the payment online at Pay.gov. The letter closes with an invitation for Khanna to provide "principled leadership and example" to address "the moral failure of our time." Americans for Tax Reform opposes all tax increases as a matter of principle, and the organization's challenge puts Khanna's wealth tax advocacy to a direct test: whether the congressman will voluntarily submit to the same tax burden he wants to impose on other wealthy Americans.