Democrats warn Trump tariffs risk ‘losing India’ at pivotal moment

Washington, Dec 11 (IANS) Sharp political criticism dominated a major Congressional hearing, with Democrats warning that President Donald Trump’s tariff regime and confrontational approach toward New Delhi could inflict long-term damage on one of America’s most vital alliances. 

During a Congressional hearing by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia on the US–India strategic partnership, Democratic Ranking Member Sydney Kamlager-Dove accused Trump of unravelling decades of bipartisan progress.

She said the Biden administration had handed Trump “a bilateral relationship at the height of its strength,” citing “a revitalised Quad, a budding defence tech partnership and a trusted supply chain partner,” only for it to be “flush, flush, flush down the toilet.”

She warned that history may judge Trump harshly. “Unless he changes course, Trump will be the American President who lost India,” she said. “You do not get a Nobel Peace Prize by driving strategic partners into the arms of our adversaries.”

At issue were Trump’s 25 per cent “Liberation Day tariffs,” followed by an additional 25 per cent levy on India’s imports of Russian oil -- a cumulative 50 per cent tariff burden. “The tariff rate on India is currently higher than the tariff rate on China,” she said, calling the policy self-defeating.

Democrats also faulted Trump for attacking people-to-people ties through a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, “70 per cent of which are held by Indians,” which she described as “a rebuke of the incredible contributions Indians have made” in the US.

Dhruva Jaishankar from ORF America testified that trade negotiations “began before February 13” and that by July, “the two sides had reached quite close” to an agreement. He said India is actively pursuing free trade deals and that “a solution… is at hand” if there is political will in Washington.

Witnesses cautioned that tariffs risk overshadowing urgent strategic priorities, including countering China and stabilising supply chains. “This has been a low-cost, high-benefit partnership for the United States,” Smith told the panel. “It would be strategic malpractice of the highest order to discard the trust we have built.”

The hearing made clear that the tariff confrontation has become the most politically charged issue in the US–India relationship -- and one with broad geopolitical consequences.

--IANS

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