Democratic lawmakers slam Trump’s India policy as trade talks resume

Washington, September 10 Sydney Kamlager-Dove, the Ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, has criticised the Trump administration's policy towards India, calling it "reckless".

Speaking on the floor of the House on Wednesday (US time), Dove said she is sounding "the alarm about the deterioration of our strategic partnership with India at the hands of Donald Trump".

She accused the US President of a "reckless foreign policy style" that has "unravelled decades of progress" with India in "mere months".

"This partnership is too important to be sacrificed by Trump's ego and Republican complicity. Trump must reverse course, make a deal and fix the damage that he has caused. He needs to get his act together on behalf of this country and our relationship with India," she added.

She also blamed Republicans for "refusing to bat for the US-India relationship when it really matters".

Her statement comes a day after Trump announced that his administration has resumed trade negotiations with India.

"I am pleased to announce that India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the trade barriers between our two nations," he posted on Truth Social on Tuesday.

Trump also described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "very good friend" and said he looks forward to speaking with him "in the upcoming weeks".

Reacting to Trump's remarks, PM Modi posted on X, affirming the strength of the India-US relationship and expressing confidence in the outcome of the ongoing trade dialogue.

"India and the US are close friends and natural partners. I am confident that our trade negotiations will pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-US partnership," PM Modi wrote on X.

After weeks of relative silence, several Democratic members of Congress are now speaking out in support of stronger US-India ties.

On Tuesday, US Senator and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jeanne Shaheen, also blamed the Trump administration for its India policy, calling the recent escalation of tensions between the two countries "unfortunate".

In her remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington-based think tank, Shaheen said that years of efforts to build a relationship with India have been "undone" in the last few months.

"It's unfortunate, in my mind, that after years of trying to build this relationship with India and with Prime Minister Modi, that it's been undone in just months," she added.

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