A funding freeze on US State Department grant programs is threatening the survival of essential study abroad and international exchange initiatives, according to NAFSA CEO Fanta Aw. These programs, crucial for both US economic and national security, are facing uncertainty after the Trump administration failed to lift the temporary 15-day funding pause by its February 27 deadline.
“These programs have been authorized and funded by Congress,” Aw said, urging lawmakers to intervene and end the freeze. The lack of funding is creating a “vacuum” that threatens the future of these initiatives.
The freeze, first communicated to grantees on February 13, has not been officially explained, and no rationale has been provided. The suspension of funding effectively halts international education, professional exchanges, and youth programs, leaving thousands of students and educators in limbo.
Mark Overmann, executive director of the Alliance for International Exchange, stressed the potential dangers of the pause, especially for the more than 12,500 Americans abroad or preparing to travel. “Suspending ECA-funded exchange programs puts their health, safety, and future at risk and harms US relationships with international leaders,” Overmann said.
The freeze also endangers US organizations and jobs, as 90% of the State Department’s exchange budget directly supports Americans or US-based initiatives. “ECA exchange programs are vital to making America ‘safer, stronger, and more prosperous,’” Overmann continued. “Suspending them would only have the opposite effect.”
Programs like the Fulbright Program, the IDEAS Program, the Gilman Scholarship, and Critical Languages Scholarships are among the most affected. These initiatives not only broaden access to global education but also enhance US students’ language skills and cultural understanding, said Melissa Torres, CEO of the Forum on Education Abroad. She warned that halting these programs would undermine the nation’s global competitiveness.
Both the Forum, NAFSA, and the Alliance for International Exchange are calling on Congress to restore funding immediately and keep stakeholders updated as the situation evolves under the Trump administration.
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