Ed Royce to co chair Congressional India Caucus

Royce, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and long-time advocate of close US-India ties, continues in the role he has held in previous Congresses.
"I am honoured to serve as a key promoter of US-India relations. As we saw during the consideration of the US-India civil nuclear agreement, Congress plays a key role in building this relationship. I am looking forward to seeing how strong we can make our economic, military and political ties," said Royce, who helped shepherd Indo-US deal through Congress in 2006.

Noting that the US-India relationship has made great strides since the Caucus started, Royce said nothing can be taken for granted.

"The Obama Administration has been spotty on relations with India. I don't think it fully appreciates India's importance or the threat it faces. The Caucus will keep pressing to make that case," he said.

A day earlier, Royce was appointed Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non- proliferation and Trade in the 112th Congress.

"South Asia will play prominently in Subcommittee's agenda: whether it is exposing illicit proliferation networks, the growing menace of regional terror groups like Lashkar-e- Taiba, or growing US-India trade links," Royce said.

"Ed has been a fantastic leader of the Caucus. I look forward to working with him in the next Congress. He has been an important voice for the relationship and the values that bind the US and India," said one time co-chairman of the Congressman Joe Wilson.
Since its inception, the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans has grown from a handful of members to one of the largest on Capitol Hill.

Congressman Joseph Crowley was named Democratic Co-Chair of the bipartisan group.
Representing the 40th District of California, Royce has been instrumental in strengthening relations between the US and India. He was Co-Chair of the India Caucus in the 107th and 111th Congress.

He was designated by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to be an official member of then-President Clinton's historic delegation to India in 2000. He travelled several more times to India. After Gujarat quake in January 2001, he led a Congressional delegation to the ravaged area to help. Also he led the effort to lift sanctions against India, co-authoring legislation to lift all sanctions and economic restrictions imposed on India under the Clinton Administration.

With this groundwork laid, the Administration moved to remove the sanctions on India in 2001.

One of Congress's experts on India, Royce managed legislation on the House floor in July 2006 to pass the historic US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, beating back several "poison pill" amendments.

In November 2008, he actively supported a resolution in condemning the horrific terrorist attacks that rocked Mumbai.

Commenting on the attacks on the House floor, Royce stated: "What is clear is that Pakistan and South Asia is at a crossroads. Pakistanis have to make the fundamental decision to turn their backs on the culture of jihad. For if they don't, the future of their country, the region, and security in the world will be in peril."
With Royce's support, the resolution passed last December.