- By Nikhil Singh
- Fri, 31 Mar 2023 04:32 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
WITH an overwhelming majority of votes, the United States Senate on Thursday approved the appointment of Indian-American Richard Verma as the new Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. This position is considered, in the powerful US State Department, to be equivalent to that of a CEO of an organisation, according to a PTI report.
In a House that is nearly divided in two equal parts between Democrats along with Independents that caucus with them (51 seats) and the Republicans (49), Verma (nominated by the Democrat-ruled administration) received 67 votes in his favour. 26 Senators voted against his appointment to the post.
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This is not the first time that Verma faced Senate’s scrutiny. He served as the 25th US' Ambassador to India. He was confirmed by then President Barrack Obama in September 2014 and by the Senate in December that year. He is currently the Chief Legal Officer and the head of global public policy at Mastercard.
According to the website of US Embassy in India, Verma served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs under Barrack Obama before 2014. He was responsible for assisting US State Department’s “efforts on Capitol Hill”.
His relation with the US Senate stretches decades. He has served Democratic Senator Harry Reid, early in his career, as his National Security Advisor. Verma served him throughout the time he was Democratic Chief Whip, Minority leader, and then the Majority Leader in the Senate.
He was also a member of the US President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and is currently member of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Commission.
He also has experience working in the corporate world as he was the Vice Chairman of The Asia Group, Partner and Senior Counsellor at Steptoe and Johnson LLP. He was also the Senior Counsellor at the Albright Stonebridge Group.
Richard Verma’s brief bio -
This veteran of the US Air Force, serving as Judge Advocate, had earned a Bachelor of Science at Lehigh University and a Juris Doctor degree at American University, Latin Legum Magister (LLM) degree with distinction at Georgetown University Law Center and then a PhD at the same University.
He has received various prestigious awards including - the Distinguished Service Medal from the Department of State, the International Affairs Fellowship from the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Meritorious Service Medal from the United States Air Force.
(With agency inputs)
