US funding freeze “threatens survival of study abroad”

The funding freeze on US State Department grant programs “threatens the survival of study abroad and international exchange programs that are essential to US economic and national security,” said NAFSA CEO Fanta Aw.  

Intended as a temporary 15-day pause on federal funding for current and future grant disbursements, the Trump administration failed to lift the freeze on February 27, leaving programs without financial resources or a clear future.  

“These are programs for which Congress has authorised and appropriated funds,” said Aw, urging calling for congressional intervention to end the freeze and close the “vacuum” it has created.  

On February 13, grantees were informed by the State Department of the freeze, though no official announcement was made and no rationale provided. 

The ongoing pause effectively suspends international education and exchange programs, professional exchanges and youth initiatives, plunging thousands of students and educators into profound uncertainty.  

Stakeholders have emphasised the urgency of the situation which could put US students in potentially dangerous circumstances.  

Paralysing ECA-funded exchange programs endangers the health, safety, and future of the more than 12,500 Americans

Mark Overmann, Alliance for International Exchange

“Paralysing ECA-funded exchange programs endangers the health, safety, and future of the more than 12,500 Americans who are either abroad right now or soon will be and damages our relationships with current and future leaders from around the world,” said Mark Overmann, executive director of the Alliance for International Exchange. 

US organisations and American jobs are also in jeopardy, stressed Overmann, highlighting that 90% of the State Department’s exchange budget is spent on Americans or in the US.

“ECA exchange programs absolutely fulfil Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s goal of making ‘America safer, stronger, and more prosperous’. Suspending them would only have the opposite effect,” he added.  

Among the impacted initiatives are the Fulbright Program, the IDEAS Program, the Gilman Scholarship and the Critical Languages Scholarships, among many others.  

As well as expanding access to a global education, these programs build the language skills and cultural competency of the US’ domestic population, emphasised Forum on Education Abroad CEO, Melissa Torres, warning that the country’s global competitiveness would take a “huge step backward”.

The Forum, NAFSA and the Alliance for International Exchange have urged Congress to immediately restore study abroad funding and are keeping stakeholders informed of the rapidly changing policy environment under the Trump-Vance administration.