US Senate to vote on Garcetti's nomination as ambassador to India

WASHINGTON: The voting on the nomination of former Los Angeles Mayor Eric M Garcetti as the country's next Ambassador to India will be held on Wednesday, the US Senate said.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Garcetti has "advanced out of a committee in a 13-8 vote, bringing him closer to final confirmation by the full Senate at a crucial moment for US-India relations."

According to WSJ, the nomination has been held up for more than a year due to some lawmakers' concerns that Garcetti turned a blind eye to allegations that a former top aide sexually harassed subordinates and made racist comments.

Despite the headwinds, the White House stood by Garcetti, who was a prominent ally of President Biden during his presidential campaign, and Biden re-nominated him this year.

The ambassadorship to India is an important diplomatic post that includes managing US strategy with China, one of a number of challenges that have strained relations with New Delhi.

India has maintained a neutral stance on the war in Ukraine and has continued to purchase discounted oil from Russia, rebuffing the Biden administration's offer to replace Russian oil with US supplies, the WSJ said.

Ben Cardin, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who supports Garcetti's nomination, has said: "India is a key player in the global geopolitics and national security issues...We need a confirmed ambassador. I met with him, so I had a chance to listen directly to what he said and I had a chance to check out a lot of the things he was saying, and I'm satisfied."

The United States has not had a full-time envoy in India since since early 2021 when the previous US envoy Kenneth Juster completed his tenure.