Rep. Tom Suozzi, New Member To India Caucus, Pledges To Work Towards Strengthening US-India Ties And Increasing The Membership Of The Caucus

Congressman Tom Suozzi (D – Long Island, Queens) has joined the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, a bipartisan coalition of American lawmakers that is committed to fostering the interests of the Indian American community and improving the relationship between the United States and India.

This comes after the Congressman pledged to join the Caucus during an event hosted by the Indian American Voters Forum and Consul General of India in New York, Binaya Pradhan. The Consul General addressed Suozzi as a “Friend of India” during the event and welcomed his membership.

After joining the Caucus, Suozzi said in a statement, “I believe that the challenges and opportunities facing the world in this century require that the United States and India join hands and lead together. I also believe that the US-India relationship will be our most defining partnership of the 21st century, which will shape the lives, dreams, and destinies of the people of our two nations. Therefore, I am proud to have joined the India Caucus.”

In response to Consul General Pradhan’s request, Varinder Bhalla—chairman of the Indian American Voters Forum—assembled a group of prominent Indian Americans to work on expanding the India Caucus. The Caucus Membership Drive Committee, with Bhalla as chairman and Congressman Suozzi as patron, includes Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori, Dr. Sudhir Parikh, Dr. Thomas Abraham, Dr. Sunil Mehra, Hussain Baqueri, Rajeev Bhambri, Ratna Bhalla, Gobind Munjal, Gunjan Rastogi, Sudhir Vaishnav, and Dev Vishwanath.

Suozzi expressed his unwavering commitment to the committee’s mission and consented to engage with his congressional colleagues in an effort to persuade them to join the India Caucus during a conversation with chairman Bhalla.

Suozzi expressed gratitude to the Indian community for their backing and emphasized the significance of voting, particularly in the context of the special election. He pledged to continue his efforts in uniting people to address various challenges, including the border crisis.

Recognized as a moderate politician, Mr. Suozzi is deeply attuned to the concerns of the average citizen, such as rising crime, inflation, the quality of education, and job creation. Despite these pressing issues, the political discourse often veers towards extremes, sidelining the priorities of the majority. Mr. Suozzi advocates for a return to pragmatic policies that benefit the broader population, echoing the sentiments of many voters who feel sidelined in the current political landscape.

Suozzi represented the congressional district (D – Long Island, Queens) – one of the nation’s wealthiest – for three terms from 2016 to 2022, and was a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, serving on both the Oversight and Tax Policy subcommittees. Congressman Suozzi was also the Vice-Chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and Co-Chair of the bipartisan Long Island Sound Caucus. Prior to his assignment on Ways and Means, the Congressman was a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Armed Services Committee. He is currently a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, House Budget Committee and is Co-Chair of the Democrats for Border Security Task Force.