NEW DELHI: Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, is slated to become US’s Ambassador to India, a position lying vacant since early 2021. His term as the mayor, too, comes to an end next month.
It has been 16 months since US President, Joe Biden, nominated him in July 2021; however, a Senate vote on the appointment has not been scheduled yet now and his allies strain to reach the 50 votes needed for approval.
The Senate approval for his appointment is stalled for over a year over a sexual abuse scandal he is embroiled in. “The Biden administration is committed to getting Eric Garcetti as the US envoy to New Delhi,” the White House said, hoping that the Senate will confirm his nomination soon.
“India is a very important relationship that we have. You saw the President (Biden) greet and meet very briefly with PM (Narendra) Modi just last week when he was in Bali. So clearly, it’s an important relationship that we truly respect,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday.
“As for Mayor Garcetti, we are committed to getting him through the process. We’re continuing to talk to the Senate about making that happen. That is a priority of ours,” Jean-Pierre said. Garcetti had earlier served 12 years as an intelligence officer in the US Navy Reserve and is keen on moving to Delhi as the next US Ambassador. A Rhodes Scholar, he met his wife, Amy Elaine Wakeland, in Oxford. They have one daughter.