India’s cheerleaders in the US Congress
The news regarding India’s MNNA status surfaced from a source hitherto less talked about among foreign policy analysts.
The source? A vocal legislative constituency in US Congress that steadfastly works towards bolstering ties between the two countries: the House and Senate India Caucus.
After Trump remarked that Modi had requested him to mediate on Kashmir during a press interaction alongside Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, the House India Caucus sprung to India’s defence. In a joint statement, Congressman George Holding and Congressman Brad Sherman who Co-Chairs the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans,
asserted that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and went on to add that the need for the hour was to combat terrorism and extremism throughout South Asia (obviously in reference to Pakistan). The fact that the congressional caucus clarified its stand speaks of their role as an enduring partner that India can expect in times of executive uncertainty.
Recently there was an attempt by Brad Sherman, along with Tulsi Gabbard, to designate India as a major non-NATO ally. Despite having bi-partisan support and co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle, the amendment did not make it to the House Rules Committee – a fate similar to the corresponding amendment in the Senate, submitted by co-chairs Mark Warner and John Cornyn which also sought to give India NATO-equivalent status for arms sales. The broad concern was over India’s impending purchase of the S-400, which is likely to have contributed to the
watering down of the amendment. Moreover, the Foreign Relations Committee has
increasingly sought to chip away the contours of the executive authorization of weapons sale through the Arms Control Export Act (AECA). If India had received the MNNA status, then the White House could have notified the sale under the FMS program (Foreign Military Sales) and Congressional approval would have required only 15 days (as opposed to 30). Regardless of the final outcome of the said legislation, the efforts of the caucus are scantily dealt with in foreign policy analysis involving the two countries.
The Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans remains the largest country-specific caucus in the US House of Representatives ever since it was established in 1993 under the stewardship of Stephen Solarz, who was one of the few pro-India legislators at that time. The Senate India caucus, on the other hand, was formed in 2004 by Senator John Cornyn and Hillary Clinton, which was the first country-specific caucus and was instrumental in the smooth passage of the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal.