US Senate confirms former US ambassador to India Richard Verma for top State Department position

The United States Senate confirmed Indian-American Richard Verma as Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources on Thursday.
Richard Verma was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 67-26 for the position of CEO of the powerful.

“CONFIRMED: Richard Verma to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources By a vote of 67-26,” the official handle of live floor updates from the U.S. Senate Democratic Majority tweeted.

In his new position, the former US ambassador to India will lead, coordinate, and oversee State Department operations like overseas aid and civilian response programmes.

Verma is the Chief Legal Officer and Head of Global Public Policy at Mastercard. He filled the role of United States Ambassador to India and Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs during the Obama administration.

Verma, 54 was nominated by US President Joe Biden for the top diplomatic post in December last year.

Formerly, he served as National Security Advisor to United States Senator Harry Reid (D-NV). He was Democratic Whip, Minority Leader, and then-Majority Leader of the United States Senate at the same time, according to the release.

He has previously held the positions of Vice Chairman of The Asia Group, Partner and Senior Counselor at Steptoe and Johnson LLP, and Senior Counselor at the Albright Stonebridge Group.
He is a former member of the United States Air Force, where he served as a Judge Advocate.