<p> Washington, Jan 11 (PTI): Celebrating the largest representation of the community in the history of the US Congress, Indian American lawmakers on Friday said that they are looking forward to welcoming more Indian American members of Congress in the future.</p><p> “When I first took office in 2013, I was the only Indian American member of Congress and the third ever in our nation’s history,” said Congressman Dr Ami Bera, the senior-most Indian American lawmaker in the House of Representatives.</p><p> “Since that day, I have been committed to ensuring we grow our representation in Congress. In the past decade, I am proud to be joined by incredible Indian American colleagues from around the country — Representatives Jayapal, Khanna, Krishnamoorthi and Thanedar,” he said.</p><p> “With the swearing-in of the 119th Congress, our cohort has grown to a record six members with the election of Representative Subramanyam in Virginia. I look forward to welcoming even more Indian American Members of Congress in the future!” Bera said, days after the sixth Indian American Suhash Subramanyam joined the five of them in the US House of Representatives.</p><p> The other four are Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Shri Thanedar and Pramila Jayapal. They were sworn into the 119th Congress on January 3.</p><p> “I first came to the United States from India when I was 16 years old, by myself and with nothing in my pockets. My parents sacrificed so much to send me here, where they believed I would have the best opportunities.</p><p> “Now, I’m proud to be one of the six Indian Americans serving in Congress and the only Indian American woman ever to be elected to the House of Representatives,” Jayapal said.</p><p> “I’m thrilled that we are growing our ‘Samosa Caucus’ in this Congress with Representative Subramanyam and I look forward to continuing to work closely with these colleagues to deliver for our constituents and the country’s Indian American communities,” Jayapal said.</p><p> “As co-chair of the India Caucus, I’m proud to serve in this diverse Congress alongside a record number of Indian Americans and I’m excited to welcome Representative Suhas Subramanyam,” Khanna said.</p><p> “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the 119th Congress to strengthen America’s defence and strategic partnership with India,” he said.</p><p> “Eight years ago, I was proud to coin the phrase ‘Samosa Caucus’ for our diverse and dedicated group of Indian American lawmakers in Congress,” Krishnamoorthi said. “Today, our historic Indian American representation continues to grow in Congress. I want to welcome Representative Subramanyam as the Samosa Caucus’s newest member, and look forward to working with him and my other Indian American colleagues to not only deliver for our constituents, but pave the way for future generations of Indian Americans who wish to serve in Congress too,” he said.</p><p> Thanedar said, “When I first moved to this country from India, I arrived with just USD 20 in my pocket. Like so many immigrants before and after me, I came to America with a passion for hard work and a belief in our land of opportunity.” Subramanyam, the newest Indian American to be elected to the House of Representatives, said, “Today, I find myself in the United States Congress with a chance to promote the American Dream for people with stories like mine.</p><p> “Alongside our growing number of Indian-American lawmakers, I am excited about the prospect of supporting both the Indian-American community, my constituents in Michigan, and any other American who wants to chase their own American Dream.</p><p> “This past Friday, my parents, who immigrated from India over 50 years ago, had the unique privilege of watching me be sworn in as the first Indian American to ever represent Virginia, and the entire East Coast, in Congress,” he said.</p><p> “My story is one that could only happen in a place like America. I am humbled to represent the Commonwealth alongside my fellow Indian American colleagues in Congress from across the country. And while I may be the first from Virginia, I am confident that I will not be the last,” he said.</p><p> Indian Americans have made countless contributions to American society, including in tech, science, medicine, and the military.</p><p> Indian Americans currently serve as the CEOs of major companies including Microsoft (Satya Nadella), Google (Sundar Pichai), Adobe (Shantanu Narayen), IMB (Arvind Krishna), and FedEx (Raj Subramaniam), said the office of Bera.</p><p> The first Asian American and Indian American Member of Congress was Dalip Singh Saund, who served in the US House of Representatives from 1957 to 1963.</p><p> In the 66 years between Representative Saund’s election and the 2012 election of Representative Ami Bera, Piyush “Bobby” Jindal was the only other member of Indian American descent elected to the legislative branch of the federal government.</p><p> Following the 2016 election, Kamala Harris made history as the first Indian American to be sworn into the United States Senate. Harris continued to make history in 2020 when she was elected as the first woman and first person of colour in history to serve as Vice President of the United States of America.</p><p> Vice President Harris’ trailblazing path continued in 2024 as the first woman of colour to be nominated by a major party for President of the United States, the press statement said.</p><p> Harris’ historic career has inspired Indian Americans across the country to step up and run for office at every level of government to ensure the community’s voice continues to be at the decision-making table. In the past decade, the number of Indian American voices in government has grown rapidly, with signs that the next decade will see the representation expanded even further, it said. PTI LKJ GSP GSP</p><p><i>(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)</i></p>
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