Senior US State Department Official Meets with Dalai Lama

July 22, 2025;

-by Tibetan Review, 7July 2025

A senior US government official has on Jul 6 met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at his residence in Dharamshala, India. Bethany Poulos Morrison, deputy assistant secretary in the US Department of State’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA), took part in the exile Tibetan spiritual leader’s 90^th birthday commemoration.

Along with some photos of the meeting, the US embassy in New Delhi said in its X post on Jul 6: “@State_SCA Deputy Assistant Secretary Morrison had the honor of visiting Dharamshala and meeting with His Holiness @DalaiLama during his 90th birthday celebration. Yesterday, @SecRubio shared birthday wishes and reaffirmed US support for fundamental freedom of Tibetans.”

At the grand birthday commemoration, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary for India & Bhutan read out a birthday message from Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The statement spoke of America’s commitment to the rights and freedoms of Tibetans, including the efforts to preserve the identity and culture of Tibet.

“The US remains firmly committed to promoting respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Tibetans. We support efforts to preserve Tibetans’ distinct linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage, including their ability to freely choose and venerate religious leaders without interference,” the statement said.

Morrison’s visit and meeting with the Dalai Lama took place at a time when the Trump Administration shut down the USAID agency, causing a severe dent in the budget of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). The shutdown, which happened on Jul 1, led to most of USAID programs across the world (around 83–86%) being cancelled, and the remaining foreign aid responsibilities being absorbed into the US State Department under a new streamlined “America First” framework.

Happily, the US government has now restored $7 million in funding to the CTA, reversing cuts by the Trump Administration, according to a vot.org Tibetan broadcast service report Jul 2. Click here to read more.

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