India renews US lobbying deal with Trump aide Jason Miller till 2027

Washington,UPDATED: Jul 7, 2026 23:30 IST

India has extended its lobbying contract in the US with SHW Partners LLC, a firm headed by Jason Miller, a former top campaign spokesman and long-time communications adviser to President Donald Trump. Filings made public under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act show the new contract was signed by the Indian Embassy in Washington on April 24 this year and will run till April 23, 2027.

Under the contract, SHW Partners will be paid USD 150,000 a month, taking the annual cost to USD 1.8 million. The firm had been hired by the Indian Embassy last year, days after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

According to the filings, SHW provides strategic advice, tactical planning and government relations support on policy matters before the US government, the US Congress, state governments, academic institutions, think tanks and other relevant stakeholders as needed.

A review of the outreach activities filed by SHW shows at least a dozen phone calls between Miller and Trump administration officials, including US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, from January 25 to February 2 this year. India and the US announced the framework for an interim bilateral trade agreement on February 2, after a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump.

The disclosures covering the six-month period from November 2025 to April this year show regular calls to Greer and Bessent, who were involved in trade negotiations and at the Treasury Department, which handled the sanctions waiver on the purchase of crude from Russia. In March and April, Miller also spoke five times with Francis Brooke, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Affairs in the Treasury Department. He also met US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor three times between November and December 2025.

Before the 2024 election, Miller had worked as an adviser on Trump's unsuccessful 2020 re-election bid and had earlier served as a chief spokesman in Trump's 2016 campaign. He had also worked for Senator Ted Cruz's presidential campaign. Lobbying is legal in the US, and agents are required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and file disclosures under the law.

The filings show that India has renewed its arrangement with Miller's firm for another term, with the contract covering policy outreach and government relations work in the US as required.

With PTI Inputs

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