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India a key ally in US strategy, say Republican lawmakers
Lawmakers Rich McCormick and Steve Daines highlight India’s growing economic, tech and defense importance at the USISPF summit.
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Lalit K Jha - Tue, 03, Jun 2025
- 02:25 EDT
- 30
Lawmakers Rich McCormick and Steve Daines at USISPF Summit. / USISPF
Republican lawmakers Rich McCormick and Steve Daines talked about India’s central role in U.S. strategic, economic, and defense planning, amid increasing competition with China. They were speaking at the eighth U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) Leadership Summit held in Washington on June 2.
Congressman Rich McCormick, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, said India is poised to become “the third largest economy in the world” within five years and called for deeper bilateral cooperation.
“We need a strong talent. There's nobody who's going to be as strong as India in the future,” McCormick said, citing India’s strength in IT, military production, and affordable innovation. He praised India’s low-cost lunar mission and COVID-era vaccine development, calling the progress “nothing short of miraculous.”
McCormick noted ongoing collaboration on military production, including with Lockheed Martin (an aerospace company) in India, and stressed the need to expand digital trade and tech sharing.
“We should have like an August-type agreement where we share technology to defend our nations,” he said, advocating a stronger formal alliance. He also backed removing trade barriers: “Tariffs that are taken off allow us to trade without inhibitions.”
He emphasized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, calling him “the most influential person in India since Gandhi,” and lauded his personal connection with Indian citizens. “He is a man of the people,” McCormick said, recalling Modi’s humble travel habits and nationalist economic vision. “In some ways, I think they’re almost more American than we are right now in that capitalistic mindset.”
McCormick also highlighted immigration reform as key to strengthening ties. “Help the immigration system be fair and equitable. Get rid of the 7% cap,” he urged.
Senator Steve Daines, a member of the Indian Affairs Committee, compared India’s potential with China’s and pointed to India’s growing edge in trust and openness.
“I don’t dare bring my phone into China,” Daines said. “But in India, I'm happy to FaceTime my family.” He called this difference “an illustration of trust,” critical to capital movement and innovation.
Daines praised India’s STEM output, which he estimated at around three million graduates a year, second only to China. “You take the U.S. plus India, we’re about equivalent with China in talent,” he said.
Both lawmakers agreed India’s scale, democratic values, and tech capacity make it a natural partner. McCormick said: “India is going to be a major player. I'm excited to work with them.”
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