All Things Policy Congress and the Making of India-U.S. Relations
Mar 3, 2026
Abhishek Kadiyala, researcher on Indo‑Pacific congressional perspectives and curator of the DC Dossier newsletter. He traces how Congress shaped India–U.S. ties from Cold War alignments to diaspora lobbying and the 2008 nuclear deal. Short takes on congressional powers, caucuses, sanctions, rising partisanship, and practical steps for India to engage lawmakers.
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Congress Is A Core Foreign Policy Actor
- The U.S. Congress has constitutionally central foreign policy powers beyond the presidency, including funding, trade regulation, treaty ratification, appointments confirmation, war declaration, and oversight.
- Abhishek Kadiyala explains these powers and shows how presidential tools like executive agreements and AUMFs have nonetheless shifted some authority to the executive branch.
1946 Reforms Made India Peripheral In Congress
- Postwar congressional reforms changed who drove foreign policy, with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee dominating early Cold War debate and sidelining peripheral countries like India.
- Abhishek Kadiyala links the 1946 Legislative Reorganization Act and committee-centric Congress to limited attention on India versus rivals like the Soviet Union.
Institutional Shifts Opened Space For India
- The 1970 and 1994 congressional reorganizations decentralized power to subcommittees and informal groups, allowing regional focus and opening space for India-related engagement.
- This structural shift, plus events like the 1971 Bangladesh war, increased congressional attention to India.