Congress ready to confirm first-ever Indian-American envoy for India

The Newspaper's Correspondent

Updated about 23 hours ago

— Reuters/File

WASHINGTON: The outgoing US Congress is likely to confirm Richard Rahul Verma as Washington’s first American-Indian ambassador in New Delhi.

The lame-duck Congress, which began its last session on Wednesday, needs to wind up all unfinished business before the Christmas as the new Congress begins its proceedings from Jan 3.

The current administration would like to get most of its major confirmations from the present Congress while Democrats still control the Senate.

All confirmation hearings are held in the Senate.President Obama announced Mr Verma’s nomination in September but a confirmation hearing could not be held because of a busy Senate schedule, which has to hold 50 such hearings before completing its tenure.

He was Senior National Security Adviser, Counsel and Foreign Policy Adviser to the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from 2002 to 2007.

Mr Verma, born 1969, currently serves as Senior Counsellor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP and the Albright Stonebridge Group.

He is also a Senior National Security Fellow at the Centre for American Progress.

Mr Verma served on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism in 2008 and has been a member of the If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the first Indian-

Mr Verma served on active duty in the US Air Force from 1994 to 1998 and received, among other decorations, the Meritorious Service Medal and Air Force Commendation Medal.

Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board.American to head the US diplomatic mission in New Delhi.

He would replace Nancy Powell who resigned in March this year.

Mr Verma’s parents moved from Punjab to the United States in 1960s. His mother’s family migrated to India from the west Punjab, now Pakistan.

Mr Verma is among half a dozen Indian-Americans appointed to key positions by the Obama administration.

Nisha Biswal, assistant secretary of State for South and Central Asia, and her deputy, Atul Keshup, are both Indian-Americans. So are Rajiv Shah, administrator USAID, and Arun Kumar, the Commerce Department’s assistant secretary for global markets.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2014