Mallika Dureja
The United States has given top jobs to three Indian-Americans. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal was put in charge of the Immigration panel of the powerful House Judiciary Committee in Washington. With this promotion, Jayapal will be the first immigrant to be in charge of a subcommittee.
A news release says that Pramila Jayapal, who is 57 years old, will replace Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren on the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity. She will now be in charge of Washington State’s 7th Congressional District.
Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Indian-American congressman, was named the ranking member of a new House committee on China. This committee will look into China’s behaviour and how it threatens the US and the rest of the world.
Hakeem Jeffries, who is the minority leader in the US House of Representatives, made the announcement on Wednesday.
Four prominent Indian-American lawmakers — #PramilaJayapal, #AmiBera, #RajaKrishnamoorthi and #RoKhanna — have been appointed members of three key House panels, reflecting the growing influence of the community in #US politics.https://t.co/O83nR6zRGa
— The Hindu (@the_hindu) February 2, 2023
Krishnamoorthi will be in charge of the strategic competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, according to the details (CCP).
After he was appointed, Krishnamoorthi said that the Chinese Communist Party is a serious economic and security threat to the United States and to democracy and prosperity around the world. He pointed to the fact that the Chinese Communist Party has threatened Taiwan’s democracy, turned TikTok into a weapon, and stolen intellectual property from the United States worth hundreds of billions of dollars as examples.
Krishnamoorthi said, “I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues from both parties on this committee to stop the CCP’s growing aggression and make sure that our country is ready to face the economic and security problems that the CCP poses to us.”
In a similar move, Indian-American Congressman Dr. Ami Bera was put on a powerful committee in the US House that deals with intelligence issues.
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is in charge of keeping an eye on the country’s intelligence activities. This includes the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), National Security Agency (NSA), and military intelligence programmes.
Bera is also on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Also read: Report: Meta, Microsoft Closes US Offices Over WFH, Huge Layoffs
During the 117th Congress, Bera was Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation. In this role, he led Congressional efforts to strengthen ties with Indo-Pacific allies and partners to advance US economic and security interests.
Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is Indian-American, was a member of the House Intelligence Committee in the 117th Congress. Now, he is the most senior member of the China Committee in the House.
