A file photo of former Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs in US, Richard Rahul Verma.
Washington:
A key Senate committee has scheduled the confirmation hearing of Richard Rahul Verma as the US Ambassador to India on December 2.
Mr Verma, 45, if confirmed, would be the first ever Indian-American to be the top US diplomat in New Delhi.
He would replace Nancy Powell, who resigned from her position early this year.
Kathleen Stephens is the current chief-de-mission in India.
The scheduling of Mr Verma's confirmation hearing by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) immediately after the Thanksgiving holidays is seen as an effort to accelerate the process of his confirmation so that the new US Ambassador is in place before January 26 visit of the President Barack Obama to India.
Obama has been invited by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the chief guest of the annual Republic Day function.
This would be the first time that a US President would be attending the Republic Day celebrations.
He would also be the first ever US President to visit India twice.
Administration officials and Senate leadership hope that Mr Verma would be confirmed by the Senate before what is now being billed as a historic visit.
Currently there are more than 55 Ambassadorial nominations pending in the US Senate; mainly because of obstructions from the Republicans.
Last week, Secretary of State John Kerry had urged the Senate leadership to confirm the ambassadorial nominations, which he argued is having an impact on American diplomacy globally.
According to Congressional sources, Mr Verma is highly popular among both the Democrats and Republicans.
He worked as a senior adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from 2002 to 2007 and played a key role - behind the scene -- in the passage of the India-US Civilian Nuclear Deal.
"Rich is the only Indian-American among other political Appointees who really cares and understands the real need for a much better US-India relations."
"We could not have concluded the US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement without the contribution of Rich. He had the commitment to the cause. He never forgot his roots," eminent Indian-American Swadesh Chatterjee said.
"Rich Verma brings with him a long track record from his positions at the State Department, Capitol Hill, think tanks and the private sector - a cogent mix that will serve him well at this critical juncture in bilateral relations," Persis Khambatta, senior director, Bower Group Asia, said.
He currently serves as Senior Counselor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP and the Albright Stonebridge Group.
He is also a Senior National Security Fellow at the Center for American Progress where he was instrumental in the launch of India 2020 project early this year -- an initiative focused on elevating the foreign policy debates in South Asia by looking at the short- and long-term US policy priorities as India has emerged as a major player regionally and globally after three decades of impressive economic growth and military modernization.
Mr Verma was Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the Department of State from 2009 to 2011 and Partner at Steptoe and Johnson LLP from 2007 to 2009, under the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
He is known to be a close confidant of Obama and his top national security staff.
Leading Indian-Americans have described his nomination as the "crowning moment" for the community.
A large number of eminent Indian-Americans are expected to be present during his confirmation hearing on December 2.
"Verma is an outstanding Indian-American, who has enormous experience at the Capitol and well-liked by US law makers and the White House. It is the highest appointment to any Indian-American so far and we whole heartedly welcome his nomination," said Republican Sampat Shivangi, who is national president of Indian- American Forum for Political Education.
"Rich will be an excellent Diplomat. His understanding of the issues of US-India relations are outstanding. His experience in Pentagon, United States Congress and the State Department will make Rich an excellent Ambassador to India," Mr Chatterjee said.
Having personally known Mr Verma for the past several years, Neera Tandon, president of Center for American Progress - a top US think-tank said Verma has a very clear understanding of how important a strong US-India relationship is to American and global interest.
"It is a fantastic time to have such a strong leader as a Ambassador, as we have a new relationship with the new government," Ms Tandon said, adding that Verma has a very strong bipartisan support in the Congress.
"It is hard to imagine a person who would have more understanding of India and he has incredible understanding at the White House, at the State Department," Ms Tandon said.
Mr Verma, 45, if confirmed, would be the first ever Indian-American to be the top US diplomat in New Delhi.
He would replace Nancy Powell, who resigned from her position early this year.
Kathleen Stephens is the current chief-de-mission in India.
The scheduling of Mr Verma's confirmation hearing by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) immediately after the Thanksgiving holidays is seen as an effort to accelerate the process of his confirmation so that the new US Ambassador is in place before January 26 visit of the President Barack Obama to India.
Obama has been invited by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the chief guest of the annual Republic Day function.
This would be the first time that a US President would be attending the Republic Day celebrations.
He would also be the first ever US President to visit India twice.
Administration officials and Senate leadership hope that Mr Verma would be confirmed by the Senate before what is now being billed as a historic visit.
Currently there are more than 55 Ambassadorial nominations pending in the US Senate; mainly because of obstructions from the Republicans.
Last week, Secretary of State John Kerry had urged the Senate leadership to confirm the ambassadorial nominations, which he argued is having an impact on American diplomacy globally.
According to Congressional sources, Mr Verma is highly popular among both the Democrats and Republicans.
He worked as a senior adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from 2002 to 2007 and played a key role - behind the scene -- in the passage of the India-US Civilian Nuclear Deal.
"Rich is the only Indian-American among other political Appointees who really cares and understands the real need for a much better US-India relations."
"We could not have concluded the US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement without the contribution of Rich. He had the commitment to the cause. He never forgot his roots," eminent Indian-American Swadesh Chatterjee said.
"Rich Verma brings with him a long track record from his positions at the State Department, Capitol Hill, think tanks and the private sector - a cogent mix that will serve him well at this critical juncture in bilateral relations," Persis Khambatta, senior director, Bower Group Asia, said.
He currently serves as Senior Counselor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP and the Albright Stonebridge Group.
He is also a Senior National Security Fellow at the Center for American Progress where he was instrumental in the launch of India 2020 project early this year -- an initiative focused on elevating the foreign policy debates in South Asia by looking at the short- and long-term US policy priorities as India has emerged as a major player regionally and globally after three decades of impressive economic growth and military modernization.
Mr Verma was Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the Department of State from 2009 to 2011 and Partner at Steptoe and Johnson LLP from 2007 to 2009, under the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
He is known to be a close confidant of Obama and his top national security staff.
Leading Indian-Americans have described his nomination as the "crowning moment" for the community.
A large number of eminent Indian-Americans are expected to be present during his confirmation hearing on December 2.
"Verma is an outstanding Indian-American, who has enormous experience at the Capitol and well-liked by US law makers and the White House. It is the highest appointment to any Indian-American so far and we whole heartedly welcome his nomination," said Republican Sampat Shivangi, who is national president of Indian- American Forum for Political Education.
"Rich will be an excellent Diplomat. His understanding of the issues of US-India relations are outstanding. His experience in Pentagon, United States Congress and the State Department will make Rich an excellent Ambassador to India," Mr Chatterjee said.
Having personally known Mr Verma for the past several years, Neera Tandon, president of Center for American Progress - a top US think-tank said Verma has a very clear understanding of how important a strong US-India relationship is to American and global interest.
"It is a fantastic time to have such a strong leader as a Ambassador, as we have a new relationship with the new government," Ms Tandon said, adding that Verma has a very strong bipartisan support in the Congress.
"It is hard to imagine a person who would have more understanding of India and he has incredible understanding at the White House, at the State Department," Ms Tandon said.
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