Senators Collins, Booker Urge OMB and State Department to Release Funds Appropriated for Educational, Cultural Exchange Programs

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) sent a bipartisan letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging a reversal of the decision to cut Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 funding for 21 Department of State educational and cultural exchange programs. Despite enjoying longstanding bipartisan support in Congress and being fully funded in the final FY 2025 appropriations legislation, these programs were recently targeted for elimination.

"The educational and cultural exchange programs funded through the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA) advance U.S. national security, strengthen economic competitiveness, and reinforce democratic values-all of which are core pillars of U.S. foreign policy," the Senators wrote.

"Quite simply, international exchanges are one of the best returns on investment across the entire federal budget," they continued. "90% of exchange funding is spent on Americans or inside the United States […] International education is one of the United States' top exports, adding $37.68 billion to the U.S. economy in 2021-2022, according to the Department of Commerce."

"Predictable and timely release of appropriated funding is essential to ensure these programs function as intended and maintain rigorous selection processes, adequate support infrastructure, and global reach. The cancelation of these programs undermines long-standing partnerships, harms U.S. credibility and leadership abroad, and wastes taxpayer dollars," the Senators concluded.

The list of programs is as follows:

• Community College Administrator Program (CCAP)
• Community College Initiative Program (CCI)
• Community Engagement Exchange (CEE, Leahy Initiative on Civil Society)
• Community Solutions Program (CSP)
• Council of American Overseas Research Centers
• English Access Scholarship Program
• English Language Fellow Program
• Global Undergraduate Exchange Program
• IDEAS Program
• Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) and YES Abroad Program
• Leaders Lead On-Demand
• Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI)
• National Clearinghouse for Disability and Exchange (NCDE)
• Professional Fellows Program
• Survey of International Educational Exchange Activity (IEEA) in the United States
• TechWomen
• The J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative
• U.S. Congress-Korea National Assembly Exchange Program
• U.S.-South Pacific Scholarship Program (USSP)
• Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellowship
• Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellowship Program (PFP)

The complete text of the letter can be read here.

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