(TibetanReview.net, Mar24’26) – Two US Senators have on Mar 20 called on the Trump Administration’s top official on dealing with the issue of Tibet vis-a-vis China to step up on his implementation of the US laws that most recently include the Resolve Tibet Act signed into law by President Joe Biden on Jul 12, 2024.
In their joint letter, Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen (NV) and Republican Senator John Curtis (UT) have called on Assistant Secretary of State Riley M Barnes, the newly appointed Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, to advance US policy on Tibet on a host of issues covered by these laws. They have vowed to work with Mr Barnes on these numerous issues and in the continuation of “the US government’s unwavering support for our Tibetan allies”.
With regard to the implementation of these existing laws, the Senators have called on Mr Barnes, who is also the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, to continue to engage earnestly with the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), like-minded partners, and experts to bring about the resumption of talks with China on the settlement of the issue of Tibet as mandated by the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002.
They have also called on Mr Barnes to work to pressure PRC officials to end discrimination against travel to Tibet, as mandated by the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018. using the tools and sanctions provided under it to achieve its intended goal.
Citing the The Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020, introduced by then-Senator Marco Rubio and signed into law by President Trump, the Senators have urged Mr Barnes to reaffirm the policy that decisions involving the next Dalai Lama are exclusively spiritual matters belonging solely to him, the Tibetan Buddhist faith community, and the Tibetan people. They have urged him to do this at the highest levels and coordinate with other governments to develop a unified stance.
Citing the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act of 2024, which clarifies US policy and the Special Coordinator’s role in countering CCP disinformation on Tibet’s history, the Tibetan people, institutions, and the Dalai Lama, the Senators have urged the State Department to devote robust resources to implementing this Act.
Citing again the Tibetan Support Act of 2020, the Senators have said they were looking forward to the State Department’s swift implementation of funds authorised under it to promote cultural preservation and other support for Tibetan communities in Tibet; economic development, health care, food assistance, and education in Tibetan exile communities in South Asia; and capacity building support to the CTA.
The Senators have also asked Mr Barnes to works with the newly-elected government of Nepal to address the long-running obstacles regarding the registration and resettlement for thousands of Tibetan refugees who continue to remain without any legal status in the country.
Citing the Congress’s declaration that “Tibet’s true representatives are the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in exile as recognized by the Tibetan people,”, the Senators have urged continued tangible support for the development of Tibetan democracy. They have called for continued and expanded engagement with the CTA and for Mr Barnes to “work toward a mutually beneficial meeting between the Sikyong and the Secretary of State.”
The Senators have urged Mr Barnes to make the case within the US government for the restoration and continued operation of Radio Free Asia and Voice of America as they have provided some of the only sources of independent information into Tibet, given the dominance of the CCP-run state media there otherwise.
The Senators have spoken of looking forward to “working with you as Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues to implement these laws and appropriations provided by Congress, to advance a renewed and reinvigorated push to peacefully resolve the dispute over Tibet’s future, and to continue the US government’s unwavering support for our Tibetan allies.”
The Senators’ letter closely follows a letter Mar 9, 2026 from a dozen US House Members in both timing and substance, highlighting Congress’s bipartisan and bicameral commitment to the people of Tibet, noted Washington-based Tibet advocacy group International Campaign for Tibet (savetibet.org) Mar 23.