Ro Khanna, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans and one of the most vocal critics of President Donald Trump's tariffs on India, has secured a sixth consecutive term in the US House of Representatives, as Democrats reclaim control of the chamber. Khanna won California's 17th congressional district with approximately 71 per cent of the vote against Republican challenger Ritesh Tandon, who received around 29 per cent, with roughly 44 per cent of expected votes counted when the race was called.

A Lawmaker Defined by US-India Relations

Khanna's connection to India is both personal and political. His grandfather, Amarnath Vidyalankar, was a freedom fighter who served time in prison under British rule and went on to become a member of India's first Parliament. That legacy has shaped Khanna's legislative identity. 'Because of my grandfather, I was influenced by Gandhi's thinking, by Nehru's beautiful speeches about liberal democracy, about pluralism,' Khanna said in a 2023 interview. 'Those are the values I champion.'

Khanna became co-chair of the India Caucus in 2023, alongside Republican Mike Waltz, making him only the second Indian American to hold the position after Ami Bera in 2015. He was born in Philadelphia in 1976 to parents who emigrated from Punjab, and previously served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce under the Obama administration. He first won his seat in 2016, defeating incumbent Mike Honda after losing to him in 2014.

Khanna's Sharpest Battles: Trump's India Tariffs

US-India trade tensions became a defining theme of Khanna's work over the past year. After Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent — including an additional 25 per cent linked to India's purchases of Russian oil under an August 6, 2025 executive order — Khanna publicly accused the President of prioritising personal grievance over a decades-long strategic partnership.

'Trump is destroying 30 years of bipartisan work to build the US-India strategic partnership because Modi refuses to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize. He imposed higher tariffs of 50% on India than China,' Khanna said in September 2025. He also directly challenged Indian Americans who had voted for Trump: 'I am waiting for all those Indian Americans who voted for Trump over Harris — you know who you are — to speak out against Trump sabotaging the partnership with blanket tariffs that are harsher than those on China.'

On October 8, 2025, Khanna and Congresswoman Deborah Ross led a letter signed by 19 lawmakers urging Trump to 'reset and repair' ties with India and end the tariffs.

Key Legislation and Committee Work

Khanna's most significant India-related legislative achievement came in 2022, when the House approved his amendment to the annual defence bill backing a sanctions waiver for India under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). His office described it as 'the most significant piece of legislation for US and India relations out of Congress since the US and India nuclear deal.' The amendment argued a waiver 'is in the best interests of the United States and the United States-India defence partnership to deter aggressors in light of Russia and China's close partnership.'

Khanna sits on the Armed Services Committee, where he serves as ranking member of the cyber, innovative technologies and information systems subcommittee. He also serves on the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the Oversight Committee. He co-wrote the Epstein Files Transparency Act with Republican Thomas Massie, which the House passed on November 18, 2025.

India-Pakistan Flashpoint and Operation Sindoor

Following the Pahalgam terror attack and India's Operation Sindoor in May 2025, Khanna said on CNN: 'India took a response that helped take out some of the terrorist networks. The important thing now is for de-escalation.' He called Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir 'a dictator' and urged him to 'free Imran Khan.' This is consistent with his broader positioning as a legislator who views the India-Pakistan balance through the prism of democratic values and US strategic interests.

Voting Record and Campaign

According to calculations from House Clerk records, Khanna voted with the majority of Democrats approximately 97 per cent of the time on roll calls from January 2025 to mid-September 2026, missing roughly 11 votes. Voteview's DW-NOMINATE scores rank him the 58th most liberal member among House Democrats. He has broken with his party at times on immigration, including a January 2025 vote for the Republican-backed Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, which fellow Indian American Democrats Pramila Jayapal and Bera opposed.

His 2026 campaign raised approximately $15 million and held around $17 million in cash on hand as of October 14, according to Federal Election Commission filings. With Democrats now controlling the House and Khanna returning with a strengthened mandate, his role in shaping US policy toward India — and the Indian American community — is likely to grow considerably.