Indian-American Suhas Subramanyam, who was elected to the US House of Representatives in November 2024, was sworn into the 119th Congress on Friday evening in Washington DC. Subramanyam, who becomes the sixth member of the ‘Samosa Caucus’; the informal name for the group of Indian American law makers, was elected to represent Virginia’s 10th Congressional district, succeeding retiring Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton. Virginia’s 10th district includes Loudoun, Rappahannock, Fauquier, and portions of Prince William and Fairfax Counties.
Subramanyam made history as the first Indian American and South Asian member of Congress in not only Virginia’s history, but on the entire East Coast. In search of a better life, Subramanyam’s mother immigrated to America through Dulles Airport, which resides in District 10, and on Friday, she watched her son be sworn in on the Bhagavad Gita, according to a press release from his office.
“Today my parents got to see me sworn in as the first Indian American and South Asian Congressman from Virginia. If you had told my mother when she landed in Dulles Airport from India that her son would go on to represent Virginia in the United States Congress, she might have not believed you, but my story is the kind of promise that America holds. I am honoured to be the first, but not the last, as I represent Virginia’s 10th in Congress,” Subramanyam said on his swearing in.
A former policy advisor to President Barack Obama, he has served in the Virginia General Assembly since first getting elected in 2019. In Richmond, the capital of Virginia, Subramanyam founded the bipartisan ‘Commonwealth Caucus’ – a bipartisan group of legislators focused on finding common ground. He passed landmark legislation to lower toll costs for commuters, issue refunds to overcharged consumers, combat the rise in gun violence, and ensure all students have access to a top-notch education. He will continue to deliver real, bipartisan, results in Congress. Subramanyam served as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician in Loudon. He lives in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife, Miranda, and their two daughters, Maya (4) and Nina (3).
