World News | Indian-American groups celebrate Biden’s nomination of Richard Verma as deputy secretary of state

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (PTI) — An Indian-American group has welcomed the nomination of lawyer-diplomat Richard Verma to be Deputy Secretary of State, the State Department’s top diplomatic post.

In December, the White House said in a statement that Joe Biden had announced his intention to nominate Verma, 54, as undersecretary of state for administration and resources.

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If confirmed by the US Senate, Verma, a former US ambassador to India, would become the highest-ranking Indian-American in the State Department.

“This nomination is another historic addition to President Biden’s campaign promise to diversify this administration,” the Indian American Impact Fund said in a statement.

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Verma’s historic opportunity to join the State Department is the culmination of a long and distinguished career in public service.

“We at Indian American Impact are pleased to witness and possibly welcome the historic confirmation of another visionary South Asian leader,” said Neil Makhija, Executive Director of Indian American Impact Fund.

“Verma has long been an integral and exemplary member of our community, and we are thrilled with President Biden’s decision to nominate him to serve as Deputy Secretary of State,” he said, expressing hope that the U.S. Senate will confirm his nomination soon.

A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Verma earned his Ph.D. and J.D. before serving as the former U.S. ambassador to India, assistant secretary of state and national security adviser to Sen. Harry Reid. At the same time, he is the Democratic Party whip, minority leader and Senate majority leader.

Indian American Impact said he is uniquely qualified to take on this new role in the new year.

“As we begin the new year, we are confident that Congress will confirm Ambassador Verma as quickly as before. We will build on this momentum by increasing South Asian representation at all levels of government. We congratulate Ambassador Verma and President Biden This historic moment,” said Makhija.

Verma, currently Chief Legal Officer and Head of Global Public Policy at MasterCard, served as US Ambassador to India from January 16, 2015 to January 20, 2017.

Indian American Impact is committed to building strength for the Indian American and South Asian communities and effecting incremental change by activating, engaging and electing Indian Americans and South Asians across the United States, and working with our allies to provide policy, according to their website.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)