Three additional members of the US Congress have joined the Congressional Caucus for Bangladesh. Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford and New York congressmen Mike McMahon and Scott Murphy made the announcement during a meeting of the new alliance 'New Democratic Coalition Pact' on Monday. The congressmen have committed to advocating for Bangladesh's interests on issues such as climate change, environment, and the proposed Indian construction of the Tipai Dam. Representing the Bangladeshi community at the meeting were Hasanuzaman Hasan from the Bangladeshi-American Public Affairs Front and Gias Ahmed, a US-based BNP leader. Congressman Joseph Crowley, who serves as co-chairman of the Bangladesh Caucus, informed the meeting that he is actively working towards securing duty-free access for Bangladeshi readymade garments in the US market. He was additionally interested in providing expatriate Bangladeshis with legal status to reside and work in the US. Currently, there are around 39 congressmen who are part of the Bangladesh Caucus. Recently, Patrick Kennedy, the son of the late senator Edward Kennedy who was a strong supporter of Bangladesh, also joined the Bangladeshi Caucus in America.