US lawmakers hail ties with India, but cite Russia worry
Representatives also emphasized that the bilateral partnership remains critical to handling the rise of China, which is a concern for both nations
Questions about India’s ties with Russia, including President Vladimir Putin’s recent trip to New Delhi, competition with China and the future of ties between New Delhi and Washington dominated proceedings during a hearing on the US-India relationship in the US House of Representatives held on Wednesday.
Members of the Republican and Democratic parties who sit on the subcommittee of South and Central Asia questioned a panel of experts about the relationship during the hearing. Representatives on both sides of the aisle acknowledged the importance of the partnership and its value to both nations.
“The US-India is no longer just important. It is a defining relationship of the 21st century. If America wants a free Indo-Pacific, resilient supply chains and a world where democracy - and not authoritarianism - sets the rules, then our partnership with India is critical,” said senior Republican Congressman Bill Huizenga, who helms the subcommittee on South Asia.
“The US relationship with India will be defining for both countries in how we are placing ourselves in the 21st century world order. It is essential to sustain US leadership in all the sectors that will shape the future - defence, climate, energy, AI, space and emerging technologies,” added Democratic Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, who is the ranking member leading her party’s representatives on the committee.
Representatives also emphasized that the bilateral partnership remains critical to handling the rise of China, which is a concern for both nations. Congressman Huizenga outlined that close naval cooperation between the two countries to secure lines of communication and trade in the Indian Ocean acts as a check to China’s growing maritime power. Republican Congressman Jefferson Shreve focused on the possibility of America and India cutting dependence on China in their pharmaceutical supply chains. Congressman James Moylan, another Republican, focused on the importance of India’s position within the Quad.
However, the hearing also saw partisan division on the Trump administration’s handling of ties with India. Representatives - specifically from the opposition Democratic party - criticised the 50% tariff levied on Indian goods and recent restrictions on H-1B visa holders.
“Unless Donald Trump changes course, he will be the American President who lost India. Or more accurately, he will be the President who chased India away,” declared Democratic Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove. A representative from California, Kamlager-Dove went on to say that President Trump’s “personal obsession” with winning a Nobel Peace Prize had contributed to a difficult time in US-India relations.
At one point in the proceedings, a member of Kamlager-Dove’s staff held up a picture of PM Narendra Modi sitting next to Russian President Vladimir Putin with the text “Trump’s failed foreign policy”. Both Republican and Democratic members raised concerns about India’s close ties to Russia.
Other Democratic representatives also questioned the recent restrictions placed on legal immigration, including H-1B visas.
“This President has threatened people to people ties by shutting down legal pathways to immigrate, reminiscent of a legacy of discriminatory quotas that made it extremely difficult for Indians to immigrate in the first place,” said Indian-American Democratic representative Pramila Jayapal, who stated that she had also been on an H-1B visa. Jayapal also flagged rising cases of anti-Indian hatred within the United States as a matter of particular concern.