00:00It's great to see that. I want to see India thrive. I think you can combine the world's
00:04largest and oldest democracies. Overall, we've been very dedicated to that process to make sure
00:09that regional stability exists. When you talk about 70% of the world's population, 70% of the
00:14world's trade going through that corridor in that area with Taiwan, 14% went highest in all of
00:22America and probably is one of the reasons that we have the highest median income in any Republican
00:28district in all of America because we have such a high demographic, not only just of Indian,
00:32but also Korean and Jewish. Chair of the India Caucus, with strong ties to India's leadership
00:38and the people of India, your reaction on the announcement yesterday?
00:44First of all, I'm very excited. I know that Prime Minister Modi and President Trump have spent time
00:49together in the past. I know he's come to America several times. I know President Trump is very
00:55fond of him and understands what an important influence he is on the world's largest population,
01:02on one of the fastest growing economies, on what's soon to be the third largest GDP in the world,
01:08probably over the next few years. It's great to see that. I want to see India thrive. I think
01:13if you can combine the world's largest and oldest democracies, I think we could usher in an era of
01:20peace for this next generation that I think would be incredibly stabilizing for the entire world.
01:26We see the world very similarly. I think there's been some unfortunate understandings recently
01:33on everything from where we purchase energy to immigration to just misunderstandings in the general
01:42public. That's what I'm here for. So make sure we massage that, smooth it out, make sure we have
01:47great relationships rolling forward. I think as India transitions from buying Russian oil to the
01:52United States, it will, once again, stabilize the world. These kind of relationships are imperative
01:58to the future of peace and prosperity for the entire world, not to mention the Ukrainian region.
02:07Right. Now, the deal is done and should be announced anytime soon. The papering,
02:12the officials are on the papering of it right now. Who do you think really pushed this across the
02:17finish line? I think it's deciding the details. Obviously, I'm not behind the scenes on this one,
02:25but I think they're going to be very cautious, make sure that there's a little bit of latitude,
02:31a little bit of wiggle room and flexibility, but that it makes very clear the things that matter most,
02:37that the major purchasing goes through America or Venezuela, basically countries that we can
02:43not fund that are not used for nefarious ways. So I think that's the important stuff. And I think the
02:52rest, once again, I love collaborating with India. I think we have a strong future, even when it comes
02:57to the defense industry. I know that there's some holdups on percentages of ownership and production,
03:03but I know India is already producing parts of the C-130J, which is also produced in my home state of
03:10Georgia at Lockheed. But there's other collaborations. I think the incredible initiative
03:17and ingenuity in India right now to be able to put a spaceship on the dark side of the moon
03:22successfully for under $100 million, actually for under $80 million. Phenomenal. That's the way of the
03:27future. And I think the more efficient we get, the more collaboration we do, the better off we'll all be.
03:32Now, in your opening remarks, you did mention about India's oil purchases from Russia. India has
03:40definitely reduced or geared down the Russian oil purchases. Is there an ask, as of now, from the
03:48U.S. side to seize this completely? And could Venezuela be the next option for India?
03:57I think that's exactly what's happened. Basically, we want to cut Russia off entirely,
04:01make it hard for them to continue to prosecute this war, to get rid of their bullying in Europe.
04:08Realize that Ukraine is a top five country of resources when it comes to titanium, steel,
04:14cobalt, lithium, uranium. 70% of Europe's wheat is produced in Ukraine. I think it's incredibly
04:23important to the stability of that region. We certainly don't want Russia any closer to other
04:27NATO allies. I think the faster they come to bear, and using especially financial terms,
04:33the quicker, quite frankly, between India and China. We've basically been funding this war.
04:39But actually, the United States and Europe is also a cold hole for what we've proceeded to purchase from
04:44that country as well. But Russia only has a $2.1 trillion economy. That's smaller than Texas's
04:51economy. And Texas doesn't have the biggest economy in all of the United States. Europe has a $20
04:56trillion economy. So Europe alone outpaces Russia by 10 to 1. Germany has two and a half times the
05:03economy of Russia. So in short order, we could bring them to heel. And I'm a big proponent of
05:09supplying Ukraine with all the weapons it can handle, because I want to make this as painful as
05:13possible against what I think is an expansionist, autocratic regime.
05:19Now, this deal between India and the United States took time. It was a complex deal. But it
05:25didn't take as long as 18 years that India-EU deal really went through. Who do you think was the
05:32tougher negotiator here? Was it President Trump or Prime Minister Modi? And who do you think has come
05:39out as the real deal maker here? I think the real beneficial with the entire world,
05:45when two leaders of two great nations get together and actually decide what to do collectively,
05:52it doesn't really matter who's responsible. It's a matter of what the result is.
05:56When you look at the benefits that it's going to have on the Indian economy long term,
06:00because Russia is not the answer, let's face it. Once again, a $2 trillion economy,
06:04India has a bigger economy than that. Matter of fact, India is about the same size as Germany now,
06:09two and a half times the size of Russia. But the United States has a $30 trillion economy.
06:14Who do you want to do business with? It makes sense. It's going to benefit India dramatically
06:18into the future. We have a much more similar worldview too. Russia's a bad guy. They're bad
06:23actors. Putin's not behaving well. He doesn't care if tens of thousands of people die. Much better
06:29to be associated with us. I think we have similar worldviews. We have similar ideas on what we see
06:36governments' role is in people's lives. When you look at the Constitution of India,
06:41it's modeled to be similar to the United States. And I think that will benefit them greatly. So
06:46two great leaders that we're going to do something that's going to, once again, potentially benefit
06:51both countries and the rest of the world into the next century. Because I think when we combine our
06:57forces, everybody benefits.
06:59Right. You did mention about the misunderstandings among people when it comes to this relationship
07:07and how you've been vocal about it. Quad, my question is on Quad now. There has been momentum
07:14in the past one year. But then do you think this would probably revive or probably reset the Quad
07:21partnership?
07:21I think the Quad was always strong. I think people get distracted by maybe small bickering,
07:28small differences. But overall, we've been very dedicated to that process to make sure that
07:33regional stability exists. When you talk about 70 percent of the world's population, 70 percent of
07:37the world's trade going through that corridor in that area with Taiwan, when you talk about the
07:45Arunagoporesh region and what's been at stake there for a while, when you talk about an
07:49expansive, tyrannical government like China as they've postured and tried to become more powerful,
07:55it's very important that the Quad is shored up, that we all see the world very similarly and that
08:01we want to make sure that together we stand mightily against a foe that's rising up. Once again,
08:06we're not the invaders here. We're not the ones trying to take land. We're trying to defend
08:10a way of life, to defend trade and stability in that region. I think India is a huge part of that,
08:15and I'm glad to see that really continue strong.
08:20And finally, Congressman, as a chair of the India caucus, despite some relationship hiccups
08:26between the two countries, what does the India-U.S. relationship mean for both the countries
08:32and the people of both these countries?
08:35Well, first of all, the reason I became chair is so I could be outspoken on these issues,
08:39because I believe that whenever you see racism, you've got to point it out. And we have racism here
08:43in America. It's not political racism. It's based on people who fear immigrants,
08:50immigration, that want to be isolationists. And they exist in both parties, by the way.
08:54I'm here to say that we've benefited greatly from our Indian immigrants. We've benefited greatly and
08:59will continue to benefit from our relationship with India as a nation, from Prime Minister Modi as
09:06a leader. It's really important to me, both collectively as nations and also as a demographic
09:14that extends into my district at 14 percent, one of the highest in all of America, and probably is
09:20one of the reasons that we have the highest median income in any Republican district in all of America,
09:26because we have such a high demographic, not only just of Indian, but also Korean and Jewish.
09:30I mean, the minority district of mine is makes up about 40 percent of my district, and we benefit
09:37greatly from it. Why wouldn't we want to have that into the future? Why wouldn't we have
09:42immigration that's right size, whether it be in the hotel industry, health care, IT, agriculture,
09:49construction? We have benefited tremendously by legal immigration to the United States, and we're
09:56blessed for it. I want to continue that trend, make sure that people have a pathway to citizenship
09:59that make great Americans into the future, that we get rid of the demonization of people,
10:05the fear of somebody who doesn't look just like me. That's really important that we're outspoken
10:09about that, because that is the future of America. India and Africa are two of the only countries in
10:15the world right now, or countries in the continent, that are expanding in population. Everybody else is
10:20declining. We need to adjust as we go forward, as AI starts to replace jobs, and somebody that will be
10:26good, because we don't have enough people to spy all the workmanship we're going to have into the
10:31future. But we still need a robust immigration system, right size to America, makes sense for
10:37India. I'm glad that we have about 250,000 Indian students here per year in advanced education.
10:42That's going to benefit India and America also.
10:44On that note, thank you so much for your time, Congressman. Really appreciate it.
10:52Always a pleasure. God bless all of you, and let's have a great day.
10:58Thank you, Congressman. Really appreciate your time again.
11:01Thank you. Good to talk to you.
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