Indian-Americans, who constitute about one per cent of the US population and have the highest per capita income among various ethnic groups in the US, have over the years played a key role in strengthening the India-US relationship. This has been acknowledged by President Biden
The “incredibly rich” diaspora is truly an asset to both India and the United States, according to Neera Tanden, a top Indian-American aide to President Joe Biden, reported PTI. She said this as the White House prepares to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an Official State Visit next month.
Indian-Americans, who constitute about one per cent of the US population and have the highest per capita income among various ethnic groups in the US, have over the years played a key role in strengthening the India-US relationship. This has been acknowledged by President Biden.
“One thing that is truly an asset to both countries is the incredibly rich diaspora here in the United States. I have been engaged with organisations that have really focused on the diaspora in the United States, and the rich connections between Indian-Americans, Indians who’ve been born here, who are first generation, second generation, and their families in India. This is a major asset to the relationship,” 52-year-old Tanden, senior advisor and staff secretary to President Joe Biden, told PTI in an exclusive interview.
She was the senior advisor and staff secretary to the President and she has taken charge as the White House Domestic Policy Advisor. That makes her one of the most powerful Indian-Americans in the White House. She replaced former National Security Advisor and former US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, as the White House Domestic Policy Advisor.
Tanden has served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, as well as presidential campaigns and think-tanks. Most recently, she was the president and CEO of the Centre for American Progress and the Centre for American Progress Action Fund
“I’m excited for the (Indian) State Visit,” Tanden said in response to a question. Indian Prime Minister Modi has been invited by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for an Official State Visit on June 22.
“I’m really also excited for us to highlight the deep relationships between Indian-Americans and their families in India and really how we learn back and forth. That’s not just a one-way conversation. We learn a lot from them, and they learn from us. It’s a big asset to the relationship that those organisations’ voices are so strong, and they are all throughout the country, not just in the east coast or the west coast, but really, all throughout the country,” Tanden said.
Tanden started working in politics and policy in government in the late 1990s. She has been working in Washington at different levels for the last 25 years. “I am just really proud of the role Indian-Americans are playing. There were very few Indian-Americans in the Clinton administration. A lot of families have pushed their children in other directions, sometimes in medicine, business, and other areas. But what’s really gratifying is to be in the White House and sit at the table, and see not just Asian-Americans, but a lot of Indian-Americans,” she said.
Tanden has served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, as well as presidential campaigns and think-tanks. Most recently, she was the president and CEO of the Centre for American Progress and the Centre for American Progress Action Fund.
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