March 7, 2021
2 mins read

Indian-Americans appointed Biden’s policy advisors

Chiraag Bains and Pronita Gupta had served in the administration of former President Barack Obama, when Biden was the Vice President…reports Asian Lite News

A day after US President Joe Biden joked that Indian-Americans were taking over the US, he appointed two of them as special assistants for advising him on domestic policies.

Chiraag Bains and Pronita Gupta had served in the administration of former President Barack Obama, when Biden was the Vice President.

Bains will deal with criminal justice while Gupta will deal with labour and workers.

The duo joins more than 20 Indian-Americans who have been appointed by Biden to senior positions in his administration. They will not require Senate confirmation as they will be on the President’s staff.

Bains worked in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, first as a prosecutor of civil rights crimes and then as senior counsel to the assistant attorney general.

He was one of the investigators and prosecutors in the federal case against the city of Ferguson for civil rights violations over the shooting of an African American teenager by a white police officer in 2014 that led to nationwide protests and riots.

He was recently the director of legal strategies at Demos, a national public policy organisation, where he led voting rights litigation. Before that, he was a senior fellow at the Harvard Law School and a clerk for a federal judge.

A key component of Biden’s election manifesto is criminal justice reform to ensure that minorities are not treated unfairly by laws and law enforcement agencies.

Gupta was the deputy director of the Labour Department’s Women’s Bureau in the Obama administration.

She was recently the director of job quality for the Center for Law and Social Policy.



Her previous jobs included stints as research director for Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy and for the Living Wage Campaign at the LA Alliance for a New Economy.

While congratulating Swati Mohan, the NASA engineer who guided the Mars rover Perseverance to a soft landing on the planet, Biden had said on Thursday, “Indian-descent Americans are taking over this country — you, my vice president, my speechwriter Vinay (Reddy). But I tell you what, thanks. You guys are incredible.”

Also read:US Senate passes $1.9 tn stimulus bill

Previous Story

Biden believes updating war power authority ‘long overdue’

Next Story

US, S.Korea reach cost-sharing deal

Latest from -Top News

Trump tariffs send world markets into panic

US benchmark crude oil shed $2.70 to $64.25 a barrel after major oil producers announced they plan to increase production. Brent crude, the international standard, was down $2.63 at $67.51 a barrel

EU prepares retaliation for Trump’s tariffs

The European Commission is assembling a fresh round of counter-tariffs aimed at US goods, adding to two existing lists of potential targets—one of which includes products that were hit by suspended tariffs

US, EU slam China’s war games near Taiwan

US President Donald Trump underscored the need to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait, advocating for a diplomatic approach to cross-strait tensions while warning against the use of force The United States

£13.9 billion of R&D fund to boost innovation, jobs

Funding outlined to support transformational R&D in areas like life sciences, green energy, engineering and beyond More UK innovators like those developing treatment-transforming dementia tests or building world-leading testing facilities to power

OPEC+ accelerates oil output hikes

Despite the production boost, the group emphasised that future adjustments remain flexible and could be paused or reversed depending on market conditions. Eight OPEC+ nations have unexpectedly decided to accelerate their oil
Go toTop