4 NRI lawmakers appointed members
of key US House committees

Los Angeles, Feb 02, 2023
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh

Four prominent NRI lawmakers -- Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Ro Khanna-- have been appointed members of three key House panels, reflecting the growing influence of the community in US politics.

The Appointments

Congresswoman Jayapal, 57 is the first immigrant to hold a leadership position for the subcommittee after being named Ranking Member of the influential House Judiciary Committee’s panel on Immigration.

A six-time Congressman Ami Bera, 57, has been appointed to a prominent U.S. House committee that deals with issues relating to intelligence. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency (NSA), and military intelligence programs are all subject to oversight by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Bera also serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

A newly formed House committee on China has appointed Mr. Raja Krishnamoorthi, 49, and Mr. Ro Khanna, 46 as its ranking member. The committee will study all facets of Chinese behavior and the threat it poses to the US and the rest of the globe.

While Khanna, 46, is the four-term politician representing the 17th Congressional district of California, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, 49, is the four-term congressman representing the eight Congressional districts of Illinois. Mr. Krishnamoorthi is also a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Indians represent the second largest U.S. immigrant group, after Mexicans and ahead of Chinese and Filipinos. The 2.7 million Indian immigrants living in the United States as of 2021 made up 6 percent of the total foreign-born population, and their numbers continue to grow.