Sikyong Discusses Tibet Funding and Policy with US Foreign Affairs Chairs in First Visit Under Trump Administration
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA, 1 May: Sikyong Penpa Tsering, elected head of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) also known as the Tibetan government in exile, has met with both the former and current Chairs of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss U.S. policy on Tibet, continued financial assistance to the Tibetan community, and the appointment of a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues during his ongoing official visit to the United States. This marks Sikyong’s first US visit post-USAID suspension under Trump’s new presidency.
According to Tibet.net, the CTA’s official website, Sikyong held two back-to-back high-level meetings at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on 29 April (EDT)—first with Rep. Michael McCaul, former Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and co-sponsor of the Resolve Tibet Act of 2024, followed by a session with current Chair Rep. Brian Mast.
In his meeting with Rep. McCaul, the Sikyong “presented an overview of the (CTA) financial structure, highlighting the proportion of funding received from the US” as he “emphasised the need for consistent and structured support for the Tibetan cause amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.”
He is reported to have also raised the prolonged vacancy of the special coordinator for Tibetan issues, unfilled since Uzra Zeya’s term ended in January 2025.
It is stated that Sikyong advocated for placing the role directly under the authority of the Secretary of State within Trump’s revised administration structure.
Ephasising the critical roles Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) play in “amplifying Tibetan voices and promoting democratic values,” he raised concerns and ongoing challenges faced by them at the meeting.
During his meeting with Rep. Brian Mast, discussions were centred on boosting congressional involvement in Tibet-related policies, reinforcing the US Congress’s bipartisan support for Tibet as reflected in legislation such as the Resolve Tibet Act of 2024.
Sikyong also provided a detailed update on the deteriorating situation inside occupied Tibet, highlighting continued repression and the strategic importance of the Tibetan Plateau.
Looking ahead to the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama of Tibet this coming July, Sikyong extended a formal invitation to Chairman Mast to attend the celebrations in Dharamshala, India, the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile.
This invitation holds strategic weight, especially in light of the Dalai Lama’s previously announced intention (in 2011) to address the question of his reincarnation when he turns 90, vis-à-vis China’s growing interference in Tibetan Buddhism and the succession process to further its colonial rule over occupied Tibet.
Sikyong Tsering is currently on a month-long visit to three nations: the United States, Canada, and Japan. He left the CTA headquarters on 26 April 2025
