(TibetanReview.net, May03’25) – As US President Donald Trump’s 90-day “pause” on foreign aid increasingly looks likely to become permanent in most of the cases – with the Tibetan services of the US government funded broadcast services sharing the same fate – the Sikyong (executive head) of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Mr Penpa Tsering, is holding a series of meetings with Congressional leaders and others to seek reassurances of continued support for Tibet, including seeking aid restoration possibilities.
On his third day in the US Capitol on Apr 30, the Tibetan Sikyong met with key members of the US Congress, emphasising the urgency of the Tibetan issue amid China’s intensifying repression and warning that reduced US support could embolden China, said the CTA on its Tibet.net website May 2.
A major focus of his day’s schedule was stated to be a meeting with members of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, attended by its Chairman John Moolenaar, Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Representatives Neal Dunn, Carlos Gimenez, Gus Bilirakis, and André Carson.
The committee members were stated to have expressed deep interest in understanding the real-time effects of China’s tightening grip on Tibet, on which the Sikyong was stated to have made a presentation.
He has also stressed the impact of recent US budget cuts on Tibetan programs in exile, emphasizing that continued gaps in US assistance would risk undermining decades of progress and how a pause in US support benefits China directly.
He has also underscored the broader geopolitical significance of the Tibetan Plateau, pointing to its increasing militarisation by China and the region’s critical role in South and Central Asian security dynamics. He has stressed that sustained US support for Tibet is a strategic necessity.
The Tibetan Sikyong has begun his day’s engagement with meetings with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and concluded with a meeting with Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart and his staff.
Earlier, on Apr 29, the Tibetan Sikyong was stated to have held two successive high-level meetings on Capitol Hill, beginning with Representative Michael McCaul, former Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and, later, with the current Chair, Representative Brian Mast.
Apart from the issue of the restoration of US aid for Tibetans, a key topic of discussion was stated to be the appointment of a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. He has stressed the strategic importance of the position and advocated for placing it under the direct purview of the Secretary of State within the new administrative structure. In the previous Trump administration (2017-2021), the position was filled only in Oct 2020.
The Tibetan Sikyong has also raised concerns about ongoing funding challenges faced by Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, and the National Endowment for Democracy, underscoring their vital role in amplifying Tibetan voices globally.
A subsequent meeting with Mast was stated to have focused on strengthening congressional engagement on Tibet-related policy matters.
The Tibetan Sikyong has invited Chairman Mast to attend the 90th birthday celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and presented him with a signed copy of his most recent book, Voice for the Voiceless.
Meanwhile, the White House has unveiled a budget blueprint May 2 that would pump more money into defense and homeland security, while taking an axe to programs the Trump administration has already targeted, including education, foreign aid, environment, health and public assistance programs, reported edition.cnn.com May 2.
However, “ultimately, it is Congress that holds the power of the purse,” Republican Senator Susan Collins, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, has said.