The halt in funding for US State Department grants “endangers the continuation of study abroad and international exchange initiatives vital to US economic and national security,” stated NAFSA CEO Fanta Aw.
Designed as a short 15-day halt on federal funding for existing and upcoming grant distributions, the Trump administration did not remove the freeze on February 27, resulting in programs lacking financial support or a defined future.
“These are initiatives for which Congress has sanctioned and allocated money,” remarked Aw, advocating for congressional action to lift the freeze and address the “gap” it has generated.
On February 13, the State Department notified grantees of the freeze, but no official statement was issued and no explanation was given.
The current halt effectively interrupts international education and exchange programs, professional exchanges, and youth initiatives, leaving thousands of students and educators in deep uncertainty.
Stakeholders have highlighted the immediacy of the issue that may place US students in potentially perilous situations.
Halting ECA-funded exchange programs jeopardizes the health, safety, and future of over 12,500 Americans.
Overmann emphasized that American jobs and US organizations are at risk, pointing out that 90% of the State Department’s exchange budget goes to Americans or is utilized within the US.
“ECA exchange programs undoubtedly achieve Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s objective of making ‘America safer, stronger, and more prosperous’. “Halting them would simply produce the reverse outcome,” he remarked.
Affected initiatives include the Fulbright Program, the IDEAS Program, the Gilman Scholarship, and the Critical Languages Scholarships, among various others.
In addition to broadening access to a worldwide education, these initiatives enhance the language abilities and cultural awareness of the domestic US population, highlighted Forum on Education Abroad CEO, Melissa Torres, cautioning that the nation’s international views.
