Before Congress dispersed for its August recess, the House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs passed its spending bill, funding State Department educational and cultural exchanges at $600 million. The Senate Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations is expected to consider its own spending bill at the end of September or in early October, and to fund exchanges at $635 million ($2 million more than the President’s request of $633 million). The House and Senate subcommittees will then head to conference to decide on a final funding level for exchanges in FY 2010.*