Washington: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi was the only Indian-American lawmaker to have voted in favour of the Russia sanctions act in the US House of Representatives, breaking ranks with his Democratic party.
Fifty-eight Democrats voted in favour of the bill that also targets the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas with 100 per cent tariffs, a move that could affect India and China.
There are six Indian-American members in the House of Representatives, all belonging to the Democratic Party.
Following the party line, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Shri Thanedar and Suhas Subramanyam voted against the Bill, which exempts US purchases of uranium from Russia from the scope of the sanctions.
Krishnamoorthi, who unsuccessfully contested the US Senate primary in March, is set to retire from the House of Representatives in January next year. Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, the Congressman from Illinois met a Ukrainian advocacy group.
After meeting the Illinois Ukraine Action members on Wednesday, he said in a post on X: “The people of Ukraine continue to fight courageously for their freedom and sovereignty, and the United States must stand with them. I’m grateful to Illinois’ Ukrainian community for their commitment to keeping that support strong.” Krishnamoorthi is among the more vocal Indian-American Congressmen and has often urged members of the diaspora to seek public office and play an active role in politics.
The vote stood out because Krishnamoorthi was the only Indian-American member of the House to back the Russia sanctions Bill, while the other five voted against it along party lines.
