Richard Verma’s nomination to state department likely to go through without glitches: Experts

Indian American Impact, an organisation that provides a platform for Indian Americans and South Asians in different levels of government and public life in America, has welcomed the recent move by President Joe Biden to nominate Dr Richard Verma, former US ambassador to India, as deputy secretary of state for management and resources.

“We at Indian American Impact are thrilled to witness and potentially welcome the historic confirmation of yet another visionary South Asian leader. Ambassador Verma has long-since been an exemplary and integral member of our community, and we are thrilled with President Biden’s decision to nominate him for deputy secretary of state,” Neil Makhija, Indian American Impact executive-director, said in a statement.

Last month, President Biden nominated Verma, a lawyer and former diplomat, for the senior position in the US state department. “This is a ‘rich’ nomination for the Indian American community and reflects the diversity of the successful Indian diaspora who are contributing to different aspects of political process in the US,” Robinder Sachdev, president of the Delhi- based think tank Imagindia Institute and one of the founders of the US India Political Action Committee, a bipartisan, non-profit organisation in the US, said. He feels that the nomination of Verma should go through and get confirmed by the US Senate successfully, since there are no controversies to hold it back.

“In contrast to the confirmation of former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be the US ambassador to India, which failed to advance through the US Senate last year; Verma’s appointment is likely to get confirmed without any hurdles because he has a good track record and is without any baggage,” Sachdev added.

Makhija of Indian American Impact, too, is confident that the US Congress will swiftly confirm Verma. “We will build on this momentum by advancing South Asian representation at all levels of government. We congratulate both Ambassador Verma and President Biden for this historic moment,” he said in his statement.

Verma has earlier served as assistant secretary of state legislative affairs during the Obama administration and national security advisor to Senator Harry Reid while he was Democratic Whip, minority leader and Senate majority leader. He is currently chief legal officer and head of global public policy at Mastercard. An US Air Force veteran; Verma received a BS Lehigh University, a JD cum laude at American University, an LLM with distinction at Georgetown University Law Center, and a PhD at Georgetown University.

“This nomination is yet another historic addition by President Biden in his campaign pledge to diversify the current administration. Ambassador Verma’s historic opportunity to join the state department is the culmination of his long and illustrious career in public service,” the Indian American Impact release said.