The recent visit of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to Pakistan and her trip to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir received condemnation from India, and the United States swiftly drew distance clarifying that the administration did not underwrite the journey by the Member of the House of Representatives from Minnesota.
As the centre
The Capitol Hill has a distinct place in the United States Constitution and its separation of powers. Members of the legislative branch work independently to write laws for the administration to implement. The Members of Congress take a special interest in foreign policy and carry out regular oversight over policies pursued by the government across the globe. These could be on a track different from the official policy pursued by the administration of the day. It is said each member’s thoughts on foreign policy are like that of the Secretary of the State.
Over the past couple of years, much water has flown down the Potomac in Washington DC and the nature of representation in the United States Congress has undergone a change in terms of the issues members pursue. These in turn also depend on the nature of the districts, its constituents, issues of interest to the member and the larger political debate.
On issues with reference to countries or developments, views on the Hill are shaped by a combination of factors including outreach from the country at the official level, engagement of the diaspora with Members of the Congress and staff, advocacy and professional lobbies at work. These provide continuous inputs that supplement independent status papers published by the Congressional Research drafted by subject experts.
At times, the House or the Senate organises hearings on country/issue-specific subjects, for example the Senate Sub-Committee on Asia held last month on U.S. policy towards India, where, among other issues, Jammu and Kashmir figured. Some of these concerns do translate into a resolution, in turn having an amplifier effect. In the final run-up, what matters is a Congressional determination or passage of a legislation that binds the government.
Adding perspective, support
Today, while there are more Indian-Americans serving as Members of the House of Representatives than ever before, correspondingly, there is an exponential growth of the second generation of the community members who work in separate branches of the administration and the legislature, adding a different dimension. They bring to offices their own perspective which has been accumulated through personal exchange of information from friends in India and various public sources.
It is well established that there is bipartisan support for India in the U.S., especially the Congress, which means both the Democrats and the Republicans favour engagement and developing ties with the country, which in turn smoothens the work of successive administrations irrespective of which party enjoys a majority in Congress and has a President in the White House.
For instance, it took over two years of sustained work at all levels in the Congress before it passed the historic Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (with India) amid determined opposition from the non-proliferation advocates on the Hill, a majority of them belonging to the Democratic Party. In the final stage, over 100 members on the House side and 13 Senators (including Independent Bernie Sanders) voted against it. It did not reflect the party line unlike the GOP Senators and a majority of Representatives who went with the decision of the Republican U.S. President, George W. Bush.
Among the Democrats who called a Nay was Congressman Jim McDermott, a founding member of the India Caucus. The vote reflected his commitment to non-proliferation that overrode his affection for India. A vote and stand taken by the Member does not follow party dictates but is driven by individual choice, unlike in India where the party takes a decision and members vote accordingly, and on important pieces of legislation through a whip.
Ilhan Omar raking up Kashmir in an Indian territory under occupation attracted sharp comment from New Delhi. Ms. Omar is known to advocate on issues such as education, environmental justice, immigration, and health care, while in the pursuit of foreign policy, the Congresswoman feels human rights, justice and peace should form the core and also represent domestic values.
Her policy prescription does not favour sanctions or interventionist measures. Much of her public life work is well known as is her stand on issues of religion. Last December, she sponsored a Bill combatting international Islamophobia that was cleared by the House and is with a Senate Committee.
Migrating to the U.S. as a child from civil-strife torn Somalia, she got drawn towards public office, winning a seat in the Minnesota House five years ago by unseating an established incumbent from a district with majority comprising a white population. In her book tracking the changing political landscape, People Like Us: The New Wave of Candidates knocking at Democracy’s Door, author Sayu Bhojwani noted: “Omar’s …campaign [for state legislature] mobilised multiple stakeholders… the young, immigrants, and progressives… beyond individual voters… organisers in the Black Lives Matter movement, the business community, local imams and media in the East African Community...around issues that directly affected these communities.” Today, Ms. Omar is in a leadership role as the whip in the Democratic Party’s Progressives Caucus which remains influential.
Is many layered
There are voices reaching out to offices across the aisle on the Hill which project a different perspective of what is happening in India and other parts of the world. There are a number of Members who form opinions based on varied inputs and articulate these at various fora.
The need to continue engagement with offices in the Congress, its emerging leadership and build a counter-narrative would require effort beyond formal and informal official interactions. It is a continuous process and a two-way street.
K.V. Prasad is a senior journalist and former Fulbright-American Political Science Association Fellow in the U.S. Congress
