A widely shared photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi riding in a car with Russian President Vladimir Putin became a focal point for criticism of the Biden administration’s successor’s approach to India, U.S. Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove told a congressional hearing.
Appearing before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, Kamlager-Dove said the image “speaks a thousand words,” arguing that coercive U.S. tactics toward India have backfired. She warned that Washington’s recent pressure risks driving a strategic partner closer to rivals, saying, “Trump’s policies towards India can only be described as cutting our nose to spite our face.” Kamlager-Dove urged urgent steps to repair the bilateral relationship, which she called vital to U.S. prosperity, security and global leadership.
The hearing, titled “The US-India Strategic Partnership: Securing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” also featured Representative Pramila Jayapal, who raised concerns that trade barriers and immigration restrictions are weakening economic ties and people-to-people connections. Jayapal pointed to ongoing tariff disputes that she said hurt businesses and consumers on both sides and stressed the need to reduce barriers that are damaging India’s economy and American interests.
Those trade tensions have escalated in recent weeks after President Donald Trump warned he was considering new tariffs on Indian rice, accusing India of “dumping” cheap rice on U.S. markets and harming American farmers. The comments came during a White House meeting where the administration announced a $12 billion aid package for U.S. agricultural producers. Several farmers at the meeting said low-cost imports from India, Vietnam and Thailand had depressed domestic prices, prompting Trump to question why higher duties were not already in place and to suggest he would act to address the issue.
The dispute unfolded while a U.S. trade delegation was in India on December 10-11 for talks that made only limited progress amid disagreements over market access and tariffs. Those negotiations were further complicated by earlier U.S. actions: in August 2025 the United States imposed 50 percent tariffs on many Indian goods amid broader trade frictions and concerns about India’s purchases of Russian oil.
Lawmakers at the hearing warned that the combination of steep tariffs, public criticism and the prospect of additional duties is injecting uncertainty into what many hope will be a deepening strategic partnership. Members urged a return to steady cooperation to protect shared economic and security interests and to prevent further drift between Washington and New Delhi.
