Issues

Promoting prosperity and economic opportunity

Having established a reputation for hard work, ingenuity, and self-discipline, the Indian American community is among the most prosperous communities in the nation. This highly educated cadre of professionals and workers have contributed to all areas of the American economy. Additionally, Indian Americans have developed a rich tradition of entrepreneurship, from small corner grocery markets to giant software corporations. The IACC is committed to ensuring that Indian Americans have the resources they need to flourish in their professions, operate successful businesses, and achieve their version of the American Dream. Specifically, the IACC supports:

• Tax reforms to promote economic growth and reduce the tax burden on all levels of personal income
• Voluntary personal retirement accounts to allow individuals to self-invest a part of their social security contributions
• Medical liability reform to make the health care system more fair and predictable
• Streamlined regulations and incentives for small business owners to invest in technology, machinery, and other equipment to help them expand and create jobs
• Increased depreciation expensing for machinery and equipment purchases
• Continued federal funding for information technology, telecommunications, biomedicine, and university-funded research and development
• Free and fair trade policies that provide business opportunities and give consumers the most economical choices

Protecting family values and enhancing educational opportunities

Many Indian Americans find it challenging to preserve a culture deeply rooted in family, tradition, religion, and education. Although recognizing that government’s role in this area is limited, the IACC is committed to helping sustain and strengthen these values. Specifically, the IACC supports:

• Helping families with children by increasing the child tax credit
• Raising academic standards and implementing other reforms to improve quality and accountability in America’s public schools
• Helping married couples by eliminating the marriage tax penalty
• Making college education more affordable by expanding tax deductibility for tuition payments
• Encouraging the American television and movie industry to produce more family-oriented, high-quality entertainment options

Ensuring a fair legal immigration system

The United States was founded as a nation of immigrants. The Statue of Liberty has stood as a symbol of liberty for our nation’s immigrants for more than a century. America has embraced newcomers from India and other nations into a welcoming society in which we all have a place to live in freedom and provide a better future for our families. While tighter controls on illegal immigration are absolutely necessary, the IACC is committed to ensuring that our current well-established legal immigration system remains intact. Specifically, the IACC supports:

• Maintaining the family and employment-based immigration categories
• Clearing the immigration-waiting list backlogs, particularly for family-based reunification and employer-based Green Cards
• Maintaining the H-1B visa program
• Speeding up the processing of green card & naturalization paperwork
• Revising procedures at U.S. consulates overseas to ensure that visitor and student visas are issued in a fair and predictable manner
• Ensuring that legal immigrants are treated fairly by immigration personnel

Protecting our national security and promoting democracy

Since September 11th, the world and America’s place in it has changed. Protecting our nation from the possibility of another terrorist attack is of paramount importance, and the United States must be proactive in preventing such attacks. At the same time, with its long tradition in support of freedom, democracy, and human rights, America must continue to exercise leadership in support of these national values. Specifically, the IACC supports:

• Proactive U.S. policies to prevent future terrorist attacks
• Increased cooperation between the United States and other nations committed to freedom, including India, the world’s largest democracy
• Consistent and active U.S. leadership to promote freedom and democracy in nations ruled by dictators and tyrants and those nations that harbor terrorist organizations

Coalitions

As a conservative organization, the IACC is committed to the principles of conservative governance. We want to join like-minded organizations that fight daily for our rights as Americans for better, more efficient government, less taxes, tort reform, legal immigration reform and preserving traditional family values.

The IACC actively seeks to build coalitions with other conservative groups. Please contact us if you are interested in partnering with the IACC to promote conservatism in public policy matters.