Strong congressional backing for India-US ties despite differences among governments: lawmakers

India-US relationship enjoys bipartisan support in the US Congress despite disagreements between the governments of the two countries over trade and tariffs, US lawmakers said here, and urged New Delhi to play a greater role in addressing global issues.

Participating in the Capitol Hill Summit 2026 on Monday, Democrat Congressmen Ro Khanna and Ami Bera said India should play a larger role in addressing global issues such as the long-drawn Ukraine conflict.

Senator Steve Daines, a Republican from Montana, said India was among America’s most important geopolitical partners and the two countries shared strategic interests beyond trade and diplomacy.

"We didn't need this kind of friction with one of the most important relations we have, and that's between the United States and India," said Daines, referring to the hiccups in ties over the issue of tariffs.

Daines recalled his visit to India in January when he heard directly from the Indian leadership about the unease over the issue of tariffs, which were addressed in a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in February.

The Summit was organised by the US-India Friendship Council, co-founded by Swadesh Chatterjee, who played a key role in garnering support among the US lawmakers for the India-US Civil Nuclear deal.

Bera, a Congressman from California, admitted that disagreements over tariffs and trade had created friction between India and the US, but said that the US Congress continued to strongly support closer ties with India.

“From the congressional perspective, nothing really has changed going back three decades. Ties between the two countries had steadily expanded under successive administrations — from President Bill Clinton through George W Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump’s first term and Joe Biden,” he said.

The Indian-origin lawmaker said India must assume greater global responsibilities as it emerges as a major world power.

According to Khanna, also a Congressman from California, and Bera, India should play an important diplomatic role in helping end the war in Ukraine because of its longstanding relationship with Russia.

“You can't say you want to be a world leader, but then shrink away from responsibility,” said Khanna, who is also of Indian descent.

He said the US-India partnership should be rooted in democratic ideals rather than narrow geopolitical calculations.

“We must, as the United States, build a multiracial democracy and work with India as a multiracial democracy,” Khanna said.

“My North Star is the ideals that at its best define the United States and at its best define India and should define the next generation of our relationship,” he said.

Congresswoman Deborah Ross said India and the United States shared a “foundational commitment to democracy and freedom”.

"The partnership is one of the most important in the world, and it must succeed for the future of democracy and the future of progress," said Ross, the Democratic lawmaker from North Carolina.

Former US Ambassador to India Richard Verma cautioned that recent tensions over trade and visa had exposed vulnerabilities in the India-US relationship.

"The system is flashing a bit yellow," Verma said, referring to the rising anti-Indian rhetoric on social media on issues of visas.