US Congressman calls trade deal with India a ‘step forward’
Washington: US Congressman Suhas Subramanyam welcomed the India-United States trade deal announced last week, calling it a necessary step after what he described as an unsustainable period of high tariffs that hurt businesses and strained bilateral ties.
“I think it’s a great step forward,” Subramanyam said when asked about the agreement. “I think the reality is, we were not on a sustainable path by having these high tariffs, and the reality is moving forward, the US and India are inextricably linked in so many ways.”
He said lowering tariffs and expanding trade made economic sense for both countries, including for his home state. “We have a lot of businesses in my Commonwealth of Virginia that do business with India, and it was hurting our economy in Virginia,” Subramanyam said.
Asked whether the deal would put bilateral relations back on track, Subramanyam said it would help but warned that damage had already been done. “Somewhat. I think this helps,” he said.
“Certainly, this administration has hurt US-India relations. That’s the reality,” Subramanyam added. “This administration knows how to cause a problem and then partially solve it, which is I think what happened here.”
Calling the tariff dispute avoidable, he said, “So it was unnecessary to put these tariffs on India and start this fight. I think hopefully moving forward, we can get things back on the right track with the relationship.”
Subramanyam said he will travel to India next week to engage directly with Indian leaders and push for broader cooperation beyond trade. “I’m gonna be going to India next week myself to visit high level ministers and hopefully the Prime Minister as well,” he said.
He said the visit would focus on several areas of partnership. “One of the things I wanna talk about is not just trade, but also other economic activity and defense and other partnerships as well,” Subramanyam said.
The trip, he added, would have “multiple goals,” including participation in an upcoming artificial intelligence summit. Subramanyam noted his congressional responsibilities, saying, “I’m on the oversight committee. I’m a subcommittee ranking member on military and foreign affairs.”
He said discussions in India would also cover space, education, and immigration issues affecting families with ties to both countries. “Certainly immigration has become an issue as well,” Subramanyam said. “A lot of families have family in India, and they’re having trouble visiting and getting visas.”