US Congresswoman Deborah Ross and Congressman Ro Khanna, headed a delegation of 19 members in urging President Donald Trump to ‘reset and repair’ America’s strained relationship with India. The 19 US lawmakers wrote a letter to the Republican President, warning him to reverse the tariff policies and fix the critical partnership with India.
“We write as Members of Congress representing districts with large, vibrant Indian-American communities that maintain strong familial, cultural, and economic ties to India. Recent actions by your administration have strained relations with the world’s largest democracy, creating negative consequences for both countries,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “We urge you to take immediate steps to reset and repair this critical partnership.”
In the letter, co-signed by several Democratic leaders, the member called on the trump administration’s 50 percent tariff hike on Indian goods, which undermined relations with India and negatively impacted the American consumers and manufacturers.
The letter further added, “In late August 2025, under your leadership, tariffs on Indian goods were elevated to as high as 50 percent, combining initial 25 percent ‘reciprocal’ tariffs with an additional 25 percent duty levied in response to India’s energy purchases from Russia. These punitive measures have hurt Indian manufacturers while simultaneously raising prices for American consumers and damaging the intricate supply chains that American companies depend on to bring products to market.”
The members termed the trading partnership between both nations as ‘exceptionally important’, highlighting that it supports “hundreds of thousands of jobs in both countries.”
“American manufacturers depend on India for key inputs in sectors from semiconductors to health care, energy, and more. American firms investing in India also gain access to one of the fastest-growing consumer markets in the world, while Indian companies have invested billions of dollars here in America, helping to create new jobs and opportunities in the communities we represent. This indiscriminate tariff escalation jeopardizes these ties, raising costs for American families, undermining the ability of American companies to compete globally, and undercutting ground-breaking innovation and cooperation,” the US Lawmakers emphasized
The House members further warned that his administration’s hostile actions have “pushed the Indian government to increase its diplomatic and economic engagement with regimes hostile to the United States, including China and Russia.”
