Robert Hoffman, a lobbyist for Oracle, describes the preliminary Congressional vote to exempt India from a ban on nuclear technology sales as "a coming-out party of sorts for the India lobby." The U.S. Atomic Energy Act bans nuclear sales to countries, such as India, that have not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Last month, both House and Senate committees gave in-principle support to the agreement negotiated between U.S. President George W. Bush [3] and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Under the agreement, only 14 of India's 22 nuclear reactors would be open to international scrutiny. The U.S India Business Council [4], a project of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce [5], have hired lobbyists Patton Boggs [6] to help with their campaign. The Indian government have hired Barbour Griffith & Rogers [7] to promote the agreement. The final Congressional vote in expected within weeks.