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www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 12 NATIONAL AFFAIRS October 17, 2025 US Lawmakers Urge Trump To Reset Relations With India O n October 8, 2025, Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna, D-California, and Rep. Deborah Ross, D-North Carolina, led a group of 19 Members of Congress in urging President Trump to take immedi- ate steps to repair America’s strained relationship with India and to reverse his administration’s “harmful” tariff policies. In the letter, the Members warn that the President’s recent tariff hikes, which raised duties on Indian goods to as high as 50 percent, have undermined relations with India and hurt both American consumers and manufacturers. “We write as Members of Congress representing districts with large, vibrant Indian-American communities that maintain strong familial, cultural, and economic ties to India. Recent actions by your administration have strained relations with the world’s largest democracy, creating nega- tive consequences for both countries,” wrote the lawmakers. “We urge you to take immediate steps to reset and repair this critical partnership.” The lawmakers emphasized that the U.S.-India trading relationship supports hundreds of thousands of jobs in both countries. They warned that escalating tariffs threaten to drive up costs and weaken American competitiveness by pushing India to build closer ties with China and Russia. “The United States and India share democratic traditions that set us apart from our authoritarian competitors,” they went on to say, adding, “Our partnership demonstrates to the world that free and open societies can prosper through cooperation and mutual respect.” The other signatories on the letter include Brad Sherman, Marc A. Veasey, Valerie P. Foushee, Sydney Kamlager Dove, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Eric Swalwell, Suhas Subramanyam, Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr., Jonathan L. Jackson, Frank Pal- lone, Jr., Danny K. Davis, Pramila Jayapal, Susan K. DelBene, Julie Johnson, Jimmy Panetta, Thomas R. Suozzi, Jan Scha- kowsky, Shri Thanedar, and SamT. Liccardo. The full letter can be found on the website of Rep. Ross at ross.house.gov or the pdf version is at Final-US-India- Partnership-Letter. By a StaffWriter HOTO:FACEBOOK PHOTO:FACEBOOK Congressman Ro Khanna, D-California. Congresswoman Deborah Ross, D-North Carolina. ! " #$ % & !& '" " ( ) * " + , ) ( ( + ( & - .! ( - / % % & + + 0 ( % ( ( & 1 " ( % 2 - ! ( % - ( + & ( ( 3 4 + % & - 0 (% / & & - + % ( ! ( ( % ! ( 2 6 ( + - 7 % ( 8 ! - 2 % (% ! & ( - ( .( + ( 2 + + - & & ! ( + 8 + 8 9 ( ! ( % ! ( % ( ( . 2 ( & ! & - ( & ( ( + ( ( ) / & % ( ( - 0 ( + ( 9 ( - . ( : ; 8 + ! < + ( ) 0 ( + ( & , % - & ( 8 % 7 + + 2 ( & % + ! & - + ( = & >- > ( ( % (% 2 & % > - ( % % % + ( % & + " % + 2 ( ( + & + % ( + - 2 % % S. Paul Kapur Confirmed As Assistant Secretary For South Asian Affairs T he US Senate on October 7, 2025, confirmed Indian American S. Paul Kapur as Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs at the State Department. Kapur replaces Donald Lu, and his appointment comes at a difficult time not only in US-India relations, but also within the South Asian Subcontinent following on the heels of the India- Pakistan imbroglio, and the turmoil in Bangladesh and Nepal. The Senate voted 51 to 47, a partisan vote October 7, for one of the top posts at the State Department, which in the past has been occupied by one other Indian American, Nisha Desai Biswal. Kapur was nominated to the position by President Trump on February 11 this year. Kapur has been a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School’s Department of Se- curity Affairs. His expertise listed on that site (nps.edu) is in South Asian Politics and Security as well as International Rela- tions. He has also been a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford Univer- sity. Kapur is not new to the State Depart- ment. He served from 2020-2021, on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, working on issues related to South and Central Asia, Indo-Pacific strategy, and U.S.-India relations. Previously, he taught at Claremont McKenna College, and was a visiting pro- fessor at Stanford University. Kapur has written extensively on issues in the South Asian Subcontinent. His biography on nsu.edu shows he is the author of Jihad as Grand Strategy: Islamist Militancy, National Security, and the Pakistani State (Oxford University Press, 2016); Danger- ous Deterrent: NuclearWeapons Prolifer- ation and Conflict in South Asia (Stanford University Press, 2007); co-author of India, Pakistan, and the Bomb: Debating Nuclear Stability in South Asia (Columbia Univer- sity Press, 2010). Most recently, he was the co-editor of The Challenges of Nuclear Security: U.S. and Indian Perspectives (Palgrave Mac- millan, 2024). His work has appeared in leading academic journals such as International Security, Security Studies, Asian Survey, andWashington Quarterly; in outlets such as theWall Street Journal, the National In- terest, and RealClearPolicy; and in a wide variety of edited volumes. Kapur also directs a United States- India Track 1.5 strategic dialogue, as well as other U.S.-India engagements, for the Department of Defense. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and his B.A. from Amherst College. By a StaffWriter PHOTO:@NPS.EDU S. Paul Kapur