Senator Roger Marshall / Wikipedia

Senior US lawmakers, administration officials and Indian diplomats voiced strong bipartisan support for deeper India-US ties on June 23, calling for closer cooperation in trade, defence, technology, energy and immigration while describing the relationship as one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.

The message emerged repeatedly during the fourth annual Capitol Hill advocacy event organised by the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), which brought more than 150 delegates from 25 states to Washington for a day of meetings with lawmakers and congressional staff on issues ranging from bilateral trade and Indo-Pacific security to immigration reform and concerns over rising anti-India and anti-Hindu sentiment.

Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas described India as one of America's most important partners at a time of intensifying competition with China.

“India is young, growing, democratic and partnered with us,” Marshall said. “The 21st century relationship that matters most for America isn't the one we're managing. It's the one we're building.”

Marshall praised Indian Americans as one of the most successful immigrant communities in US history and argued that their achievements offer a powerful answer to critics of legal immigration.

“Every time someone in Washington questions whether legal immigration works, you're the answer. You're not the argument, you're the answer,” he said.

“You didn't just come to America. You helped build it.”

The senator said India had already emerged as a natural strategic partner for the United States.

“This is not a country we need to convince to be our partner. They already are,” he said. “The question is whether Washington has the vision to match the moment.”

Marshall also called for stronger trade ties, expanded market access and reforms to address lengthy employment-based green card backlogs affecting Indian professionals.

Congressman Sanford Bishop of Georgia highlighted the historic links between India and the United States, noting the influence of Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy on America's civil rights movement.

“We must work closely together to counter the rising threat that China poses to global supply chains,” Bishop said.

“We must ensure that H-1B visas for skilled workers and visas for students remain available in the United States.”

Bishop also urged greater attention to anti-Hindu discrimination.

“We must be vigilant in our efforts to recognize and address Hindu phobia here in the United States,” he said.

Congressman James Walkinshaw of Virginia said cooperation between Washington and New Delhi had become increasingly important in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“The US and India have worked together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific to counter coercion and aggression from the People's Republic of China,” Walkinshaw said.

He also called for reforms to America's immigration system.

“We have to address the visa processing backlogs, the country caps. We have to modernize our immigration system,” he said.

Veteran California Congressman Brad Sherman, one of Capitol Hill's longest-serving advocates of India-US ties, reflected on three decades of engagement with India.

“The trade relationship between the United States and India has grown exponentially in the 30 years I've been in Congress,” Sherman said.

Sherman highlighted his efforts to reduce H-1B visa backlogs and recalled lobbying Prime Minister Narendra Modi to establish an Indian consulate in Los Angeles.

He also criticised tariffs imposed on Indian goods last year.

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“This policy was misguided. It hurt the economic relationship. It hurt the security relationship,” Sherman said.

Congressman Bill Huizenga of Michigan, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, described India as a key partner in promoting a “free, open, and a secure Indo-Pacific.”

He expressed optimism that trade negotiations between the two countries were nearing completion.

“I'm eager to see a resolution to the new trade deal,” Huizenga said, describing it as being “at the one yard line.”

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi focused on the growing political influence of Indian Americans but warned that the community was facing new challenges.

“There is the rise of anti-Hindu, anti-Indian, anti Desi hate,” he said.

Referring to recent attacks directed at him, Krishnamoorthi added: “I'm not going anywhere.”

He urged Indian Americans to become more active in public life.

“It's time to run for office,” he said. “If you don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu.”

Congressman Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia echoed concerns about immigration delays affecting Indian families.

“My parents came here in 1978 from India. They got their green card at the airport,” he said.

“We're missing out on so much talent from India.”

Congressman Rob Wittman of Virginia called the India-US relationship “the most important strategic relationship in the 21st century” and urged deeper cooperation in defence technology, energy security, critical minerals and advanced manufacturing.

“India is essential to challenge the advances China's making,” Wittman said. “A US-India strong relationship counters China's aggression.”

The event also featured remarks from Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bethany Poulos Morrison and India's Deputy Chief of Mission Namgya C. Khampa, both of whom highlighted growing cooperation in trade, energy, technology and defence.

Morrison said Washington and New Delhi were “very, very close” to concluding a bilateral trade agreement and described the partnership as increasingly focused on delivering concrete results. Khampa called the relationship “one of the most seminal and defining partnerships of the 21st century” and said its strategic foundations had grown stronger with each passing year.

FIIDS leaders said delegates spent the day discussing Indo-Pacific security, critical minerals, supply-chain resilience, immigration reform, H-1B visas and the growing role of the Indian-American community in shaping the future of India-US relations.

India and the United States have steadily expanded cooperation over the past two decades across defence, trade, technology, energy and regional security. Today, the relationship enjoys broad bipartisan support in Washington and is increasingly viewed by policymakers in both countries as central to maintaining stability and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific region.

The Indian-American community, now numbering more than five million people, has emerged as one of the most influential immigrant groups in the United States. Its growing presence in business, technology, healthcare, academia and public service has added a powerful people-to-people dimension to a partnership that continues to deepen across multiple sectors. 

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