FCRA: A Potential US-India Irritant?

In this episode of the All Things Policy podcast, Kavya Rai and Abhishek Kadiyala examine India's 2026 amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act and why a domestic funding law has drawn attention in Washington. The conversation frames the issue as a collision between Indian regulatory sovereignty and the rising force of religious-freedom politics in the United States. It traces the money at stake, from American donors to Indian recipients, and situates the debate within USCIRF hearings, Congressional interest, and the evangelical turn in US politics. The episode argues that while the executive has shown limited appetite for action, having moved only against Nigeria, the FCRA question retains real nuisance value as a Congressional and electoral lever. It ultimately asks whether this issue becomes an active irritant in India-US ties, or remains a low-grade friction ahead of the midterms.

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