The United States India Political Action Committee is a political action committee based in Washington, D.C. Since its founding in 2002 by businessman Sanjay Puri, USINPAC has described its goal as "working closely with other Indian-American organizations to promote fair and balanced policies, and create a platform to enable the entry of Indian Americans in the political process." Particular issues of note have related to legal immigration, counter-terrorism, business relations, global health, religious freedom, education, and US-India trade. USINPAC has also donated significant funding to the political campaigns of both Democratic and Republican politicians, and past Senate candidates supported by USINPAC include Aruna Miller, Aneesh Chopra, Vivek Kundra, and Kesha Ram among others. USINPAC is involved with the annual US business delegation to India, and has periodically held briefings for members of the United States Congress and the United States House of Representatives. An active proponent of the H-1B Visa Program between 2003 and 2008, USINPAC has also supported the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Agreement, the Hyde Act, the Section 123 Agreement, the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act, and hate-crime expansions to the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act (LLEEA), among others. History Background and founding (2000–2003) In September 2002, Indian-American businessman Sanjay Puri and Vikram Chauhan formally established the United States India Political Action Committee (USINPAC), a non-profit political action committee based in Washington, D.C. Surabhi Garg headed fundraising and operations, while Puri became chairman in October 2002. From the start USINPAC described its goal as "working closely with other Indian-American organizations to promote fair and balanced policies, and create a platform to enable the entry of Indian Americans in the political process." Among other issues, starting in 2002 USINPAC began working to educate US lawmakers on a visa backlog in India, which within several years had helped lead to increased staff at the US Embassy in India and funding for a new US Consulate in Hyderabad. USINPAC also immediately became involved in political campaigns in the US. Financed largely by individual donors, USINPAC donated a total $50,000 to seven American politicians in early 2003 for "their stand on immigration policy, relations with India and policies affecting Indian Americans in a post-September 11 scenario." Five of the seven candidates ended up winning their race. USINPAC soon had liaisons with the India Caucus in US Congress, and on February 13, 2003, USINPAC organized the first India Caucus Day on Capitol Hill,