After much budgetary uncertainty on Capitol Hill, action is finally expected this week on the FY 2011 budget. The House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee will mark up its FY 2011 spending bill on Wednesday, June 30, at 4:00 p.m. The Senate State-Foreign Ops subcommittee is expected to act on its own spending bill just after the July 4th recess.

The Alliance is urging Congress to fund State Department educational and cultural exchanges at $675 million in FY 2011, $41.8 million over the FY 2011 request of $633.2 million and $40 million over the FY 2010 level of $635 million. The requested increase to $675 million is a modest increment that aligns with the overall State Department budget increase of 5.2 per cent.

We ask you to contact your Senators and Representatives immediately and urge them to support the Alliance's request. Take action here!

If your Senator or Member of Congress sits on one of the Subcommittees for State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, your expression of support for the President's budget request is particularly critical. If your members do not sit on a subcommittee, it is still important to voice your support of exchanges. Please use the template letters below, and edit them to fit your own programs as you see fit.

Thank you for your important work in supporting international exchange programs. Please share this call to action with your staff, members, and/or chapters.