In a significant move to bolster US-India relations, Congressman Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY 04) has officially joined the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.
His decision comes just two months after Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-NY 03) joined the caucus, marking another win for the India Caucus Membership Drive Committee, which has been actively working to grow the group’s membership.
The Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans is a bipartisan body that seeks to strengthen ties between the two nations, focusing on key areas such as bilateral trade, defense collaboration, and cultural exchanges. Founded in 1993, the Caucus has played a pivotal role in advancing U.S.-India relations, with bilateral trade skyrocketing from $4 billion at its inception to $200 billion in 2023.
D’Esposito’s decision to join came after a meeting with members of the Membership Drive Committee, including chairman Varinder Bhalla, Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori, Gunjan Rastogi, Gobind Munjal, Hussain Baqueri, and Sudhir Vaishnav. Other notable members of the committee include Dr. Sudhir Parikh, Dr. Thomas Abraham, Ratna Bhalla, Rajeev Bhambri, Sunil Mehra, and Dev Viswanath.
During the meeting, Munjal—who also serves as the national president of the Association of Indians in America—briefied D’Esposito on the growing strategic and economic ties between the U.S. and India, emphasizing the defense and security partnerships between the two nations.
In a show of commitment, D’Esposito pledged to reach out to his Republican colleagues from Long Island, Congressmen Nick Lalota and Andrew Garbarino, to encourage their membership in the caucus. His outreach follows a similar effort by Suozzi, who is working to rally Democratic support from his Connecticut colleagues, including Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Jahana Hayes, and Joe Courtney.
With the recent additions of D’Esposito and Suozzi, the India Caucus now stands at 143 members, making it the largest country-specific caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. The caucus is led by co-chairs Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Michael Waltz.
Chairman Bhalla expressed optimism about the caucus’ future, stating, “U.S.-India relations will continue to deepen with broader support from American lawmakers.”
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