Title: To express the Sense of Congress relating to the United States-India Defense Partnership.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S.-India defense partnership is critical in advancing U.S. interests in the Indo-Pacific region.  The bill expresses support for the United States-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies.  The bill also expresses support for a temporary waiver of sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act for India because of India's current reliance on Russian-built weapons systems.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8757 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8757

 To express the Sense of Congress relating to the United States-India 
                          Defense Partnership.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 30, 2022

 Mr. Khanna (for himself, Mr. Schweikert, and Mr. Sherman) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Financial 
 Services, Oversight and Reform, and the Judiciary, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To express the Sense of Congress relating to the United States-India 
                          Defense Partnership.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. UNITED STATES-INDIA DEFENSE PARTNERSHIP.

    (a) Strong United States-India Defense Partnership.--It is the 
sense of Congress that--
            (1) a strong United States-India defense partnership, 
        rooted in shared democratic values, is critical in order to 
        advance United States interests in the Indo-Pacific region; and
            (2) this partnership between the world's oldest and largest 
        democracies is critical and must continue to be strengthened in 
        response to increasing threats in the Indo-Pacific regions, 
        sending an unequivocal signal that sovereignty and 
        international law must be respected.
    (b) United States-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging 
Technologies (iCET).--The Congress finds that the United States-India 
Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) is a welcome 
and essential step to developing closer partnerships between 
governments, academia, and industry in the United States and India to 
address the latest advances in artificial intelligence, quantum 
computing, biotechnology, aerospace, and semiconductor manufacturing. 
Such collaborations between engineers and computer scientists are vital 
to help ensure that the United States and India, as well as other 
democracies around the world, foster innovation and facilitate 
technological advances which continue to far outpace Russian and 
Chinese technology.
    (c) Border Threats From China and Reliance on Russian-Built 
Weapons.--Congress recognizes that--
            (1) India faces immediate and serious regional border 
        threats from China, with continued military aggression by the 
        Government of China along the India-China border,
            (2) India relies on Russian-built weapons for its national 
        defense, and
            (3) the United States should take additional steps to 
        encourage India to accelerate India's transition off Russian-
        built weapons and defense systems while strongly supporting 
        India's immediate defense needs.
    (d) Waiver of CAATSA Sanctions in Best Interests of United States 
and the United States-India Defense Partnership.--While India faces 
immediate needs to maintain its heavily Russian-built weapons systems, 
a waiver to sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries 
Through Sanctions Act during this transition period is in the best 
interests of the United States and the United States-India defense 
partnership to deter aggressors in light of Russia and China's close 
partnership.
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