Latest Capitol Hill News & Updates

Washington, Jan 28 (IANS) Mounting trade tensions, punitive tariffs, and a widening trust deficit are beginning to erode the India-US relationship at a time when both countries face shared security and geopolitical challenges, a senior US lawmaker has warned.Mark Warner, Chairman of the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, said the partnership remained central to Washington’s global strategy but was currently falling short of its potential. “There i…

Washington, Jan 17 (IANS) An immersive art exhibition and documentary screening on Capitol Hill has brought into sharp focus the plight of Hindu and other minority communities from Pakistan, highlighting forced conversions, abductions, and a refugee crisis that organisers say has remained largely invisible in global discourse.Titled Seven Decades and supported by HinduAction, the exhibition combines photography, large-format visual installations, quilts, and film to convey what organisers descri…

Washington, Jan 16 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has described his meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as a “great honour”, saying she presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize during their closed-door talks at the White House.“It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today,” Trump said in a social media post after the meeting. “She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much.”Trump said Machado presented him with her Nobel…

Washington, Jan 12 (IANS) HinduACTion will hold a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill on January 16 to spotlight what it calls the persecution, forced conversions, and trafficking of Hindu, Christian, and other religious minorities in Pakistan.The briefing “Our Lost Daughters of Sindh” is aimed at members of Congress, congressional staff, officials from the US State Department and National Security Council, human rights advocates and groups working against human trafficking, a media relea…

Washington, Jan 8 (IANS) India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, met US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Capitol Hill to discuss the India-US relationship, counterterrorism cooperation, and key areas of bilateral partnership. Kwatra said he was “honoured to meet Speaker Mike Johnson at Capitol Hill today.” He said he expressed “deep appreciation for his support for strengthening the India-US bilateral relationship.”The ambassador thanked the Speaker for US support on …

Washington, Jan 6, (IANS) Indian American Arjun Mody was sworn in on Monday as Deputy Commissioner of the US Social Security Administration (SSA), taking on the role of chief operating officer at an agency that delivers benefits to tens of millions of Americans and manages one of the largest budgets in the federal government.Mody was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 2025, and sworn in on January 5, 2026, SSA said on Tuesday. His term runs through January 19, 2031. SSA Commis…

Washington, Dec 24 (IANS) Indian H-1B visa holders are facing months-long uncertainty after US consulates in India delayed appointments due to new screening requirements, a development that has triggered concern on Capitol Hill, while the Trump Administration has strongly defended its tougher vetting, arguing that this is a national security necessity.Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from Michigan, said the December 3 announcement of the State Department to expand mandatory online presen…