Latest Trump Administration News & Updates

Washington, July 28 (IANS) The Trump administration has changed the US asylum system to allow immigration officials to send certain applications directly to immigration judges without first interviewing applicants, a move the government says will reduce a large backlog but immigrant advocates say will weaken due process.The interim final rule allows US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to refer affirmative asylum applications to immigration judges without conducting an initial intervi…

Washington, July 25 (IANS) The Trump administration’s plans to overhaul the US scientific research system sparked fresh debate in Congress this week over the future of international researchers and the country’s ability to attract global talent, an issue closely watched by thousands of Indian students and scientists pursuing advanced studies and research in the United States.At a hearing before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, White House Office of Science and Technology Pol…

Washington, July 25 (IANS) The Trump administration this week defended an ambitious overhaul of America’s scientific research enterprise, arguing that artificial intelligence, quantum computing and advanced manufacturing will be central to keeping the United States ahead of China in technologies that will shape the coming decades, a strategy with implications for key partners such as India.Appearing before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, White House Office of Science and Te…

Washington, July 24 (IANS) India will face a lower 10 per cent tariff under the Trump administration’s new Section 301 enforcement action on forced labour imports after the United States concluded that New Delhi had adopted a forced labour import prohibition during the course of the investigation, placing it in a more favourable category than dozens of other trading partners.The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced on Thursday that, at President Donald Trump’s direction, it is …

Washington, July 23 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday reaffirmed the Trump administration’s commitment to Southeast Asia, announcing billions of dollars in strategic investments for the region while warning that Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz posed a threat to global trade and freedom of navigation. Addressing the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the United States in Manila, Rubio said Washington viewed ASEAN as its primary mechanism for engagement in the Indo-Pa…

Washington, July 23 (IANS) The Trump administration has defended its sweeping overhaul of the United Nations, saying it had secured the largest budget cuts in the organisation’s history while pushing it back towards its original mission of maintaining international peace and security. Appearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday (local time), US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and Ambassador for UN Management and Reform Jeffrey Bartos said the administration had …

Washington, July 23 (IANS) Calls to expand the United Nations Security Council to include India received fresh attention in the US Congress as lawmakers debating the future of the world body argued that its power structure no longer reflects today’s geopolitical realities. During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on reforming the United Nations on Wednesday (local time), Congressman Ami Bera said any meaningful overhaul of the organisation must address the composition of the Security Cou…

Washington, July 22 (IANS) The Trump administration is using tariffs as leverage to force trading partners to open their markets, strengthen enforcement and rebuild American manufacturing, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told lawmakers on Wednesday, laying out what he described as a new US trade doctrine built on reciprocal agreements backed by tariff pressure. Tariffs are not simply punitive measures but also negotiating tools designed to secure better market access for businesses and wo…

Washington, July 22 (IANS) The Trump administration on Wednesday claimed its trade strategy had sharply reduced America’s economic dependence on China, with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer telling lawmakers that the bilateral goods trade deficit had fallen to its lowest level in two decades. Testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, Greer said President Donald Trump’s tariff-driven trade policy had begun reshaping trade flows away from China while encouraging domestic manufacturing …

Washington, July 22 (IANS) The Trump administration will raise with New Delhi concerns over India’s proposed restrictions on imports of American soda ash, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told lawmakers on Wednesday, indicating the issue will form part of broader trade engagement between the two countries. “I have a good relationship with my counterpart in India, and we work closely with their trade ministry,” Greer told the Senate Finance Committee during a hearing on President Donald Tru…