Expanding the U.S. and India's Partnership

Floor Speech

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Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to underline the partnership between the United States and the Republic of India.

I recently met with India's consul general, Dr. Swati Kulkarni, and an entrepreneur, Mohit Mankad, in my Knoxville office. We talked about India's developmental journey, its leadership over the G20, and the growing partnership between our countries.

I believe it is important to the United States to align itself with countries that share its values, and our Nation clearly has a lot in common with India. They are, apparently, the oldest democracy in the world. We all value democracy, the free market, and international trade.

I see these values in my Indian constituents who came to this country to live out the American Dream. They work very hard to earn an honest living. They love their families, and they contribute to the communities around them.

I fully support expanding our diplomatic relationship with India. As we work toward that goal, I will encourage the Indian Government to make it safer for Christians and people of all religions and faiths to safely practice their faith in public as they do in a truly free society.

I think we would all benefit from a closer relationship and growing our shared values.

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