Bera gets key role in House Indo-Pacific committee
INDIAN AMERICAN Congressman Ami Bera has been elected as Ranking Member of the US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee that handles the Indo-Pacific region.
After being elected by his colleagues to serve in the position, Bera in a statement said, ‘I am proud to continue my leadership on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific. The Indo-Pacific remains the most consequential region of the world for our national security, economic interests, and values.’
In the previous Congress, he chaired the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and non-proliferation, where he spearheaded efforts to reinvigorate US relationships with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.
Last week, he was appointed as a member of the influential House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The committee is charged with providing oversight of the nation’s intelligence activities, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Agency and military intelligence programs.
Bera, who has served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee since entering Congress in 2013, stressed that he is committed to working with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address the challenges faced by the Indo-Pacific region and the need for economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.
He stated that he looks forward to continuing to help ‘the Subcommittee’s bipartisan work towards supporting a more free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.’
Bera has travelled to Japan, South Korea, India, and Vietnam and worked to build strong ties with government and civil society leaders in the Indo-Pacific region. In December 2022, US President Joe Biden signed into law four Bera-led provisions that strengthen American security and leadership in the Indo-Pacific.