Advocacy Update: Exchange Funding Begins to Flow After Pause

As of Friday, March 28, Alliance members have received over 85% of outstanding State Department payments that had been withheld due to the ongoing funding freeze. This is a major victory in an advocacy effort that began when on Thursday, February 13 when the State Department informed grantees that a temporary 15-day pause on federal funding for all current and future State Department FY25 grant disbursements had gone into effect as of Wednesday, February 12.

In response, the Alliance, along with NAFSA and The Forum on Education Abroad, launched an advocacy campaign urging Congress to restore funding to ECA program implementers. Exchange champions sent 25,000+ letters to more than 500 Congressional offices. 

Just days after the campaign launch, 160 Alliance members went to Capitol Hill to meet with over 140 Congressional offices on Advocacy Day, delivering the same urgent message.

These meetings led to a House sign on letter co-sponsored by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME, 1) and Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA, 4) with 47 signatures urging Secretary of State Rubio to immediately stop the freeze.

We also generated strong media attention in major outlets like the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Associated Press.  

Action Alert: Urge Congress to Restore Vital International Exchange Funding

The Alliance for International Exchange, on behalf of its more than 90 U.S.-based members who implement international exchange programs, and in conjunction with NAFSA and the Forum on Education Abroad, is launching a campaign to urge Members of Congress to demand that the U.S. Department of State lift the freeze on international exchange funding. 

The Department of State still has not lifted what was described as a 15-day temporary pause of all international exchange program funding that went into effect on Wednesday, February 12. This pause has paralyzed an array of time-honored exchange programs that enhance American safety, security, and prosperity.  

This action risks the health, safety, and future of the more than 12,500 American youth, students, and professionals who are currently abroad or who have plans to be abroad in the next six months. It also shuts off funding for U.S. programs now hosting more than 7,400 youth, students, and professionals in American communities from around the world. 

We encourage all exchange champions take action today and urge Congress to support thousands of American students and communities by contacting the U.S. Department of State to demand that funding be turned back on for international exchange programs. 

Alliance congratulates Marco Rubio on his confirmation as Secretary of State

The Alliance for International Exchange congratulates Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his confirmation, and on being sworn in, as the 72nd Secretary of State this week. During his remarks to Department of State staff, Secretary Rubio emphasized the need for a pragmatic U.S. foreign policy that makes America safer, stronger, and more prosperous. We are optimistic that this mission for the Department will translate into the Secretary’s strong support of international exchange programs, which meet those important criteria.  

Exchanges make America safer by advancing U.S. interests and values around the world. Exchanges make America stronger by creating future American leaders and telling America’s story to the world. And exchanges make America more prosperous by bringing billions of dollars to the U.S. economy and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans. 

The Alliance looks forward to working with Secretary Rubio in his new role and to promoting and expanding Department of State international exchange programs. 

Alliance congratulates Senator Rubio on Secretary of State nomination

The Alliance extends its congratulations to Senator Marco Rubio on his Secretary of State nomination. Since his election to the Senate in 2011, Senator Rubio has been a supporter of international exchange programs, particularly through his membership on the Senate State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee. 

On November 21, the Alliance sent a letter to Senator Rubio’s office, congratulating him directly and highlighting the positive economic, political, and social impact of international exchanges on Americans and American communities: 

• An investment in international exchange programs is an investment in the U.S. economy. International university students contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy and created 378,175 jobs in 2023-24. Approximately 90%, or $660 million, of the Department of State exchange program budget is spent on Americans traveling abroad or by international participants while in America. This is one of the best returns on investment in the entire federal government. 

• International exchanges create political and business networks around the world – networks that cement diplomatic relationships and strengthen national security. Exchange programs have immeasurable national defense and security benefits, provide unique value for our nation, and advance American interests around the world. International exchanges are one of our oldest forms of diplomacy and are a key instrument of U.S. foreign policy, essential to strengthening U.S. global leadership and keeping us safe. Exchanges help us promote American values worldwide and build international partnerships based on shared interests that ultimately save lives and build nations.  

• International exchanges create future American leaders, providing them the skills to be successful on the world stage. More than 31 million job openings require skills in communication, leadership, and problem-solving – all skill sets shaped through international exchange experiences. Studying and traveling abroad helps to build careers – 9 out of 10 youth surveyed say they believe travel experiences increase employability. 

• International exchanges help tell America’s story, showing the world what America is really like, building familiarity, kinship, and trust. Four out of five Americans feel international exchange programs enhance the image of their community as a good place to live. 94 percent of exchange students from Muslim-majority countries reported that they have a deeper, more favorable view of American culture after their year in the United States. 79 percent of Fellows who participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders agreed that the Fellowship helped build lasting and productive relationships, both personal and institutional, between the United States and African countries. 

The Alliance looks forward to engaging Senator Rubio in his new role to sustain, protect, and grow international exchange programs. 

A Proven Investment in America: Exchange Policy Priorities for the Incoming Trump Administration

The Alliance for International Exchange has released its international educational and cultural exchange policy priorities for the incoming Trump Administration. The Alliance recommends that the new Administration make international exchange programs a part of its policy priorities because of the transformative power of exchanges in advancing America’s economic and national security interests.   

The Alliance’s policy priorities paper outlines its recommendations for the incoming Administration, focusing on five key areas of growth and collaboration: 

• Policy Priority #1: Support a robust appropriation for Department of State international exchange programs
   The Alliance recommends that the Trump Administration prioritize robust funding for Department of State international exchange programs, one of the best returns on investment in the federal budget. At $741 million in FY24, funding for exchanges is only 0.0006% of the federal budget. And 90% of this funding, or ~$660 million, is spent domestically – either on Americans to travel abroad or by international participants while in the U.S. Funding for ECA exchange programs grew by 17% during the first Trump Administration, and the Alliance looks forward to coordinating with the Administration to continue this trend and ensure funding for these critical public diplomacy programs continues

• Policy Priority #2: Support and expand Department of State BridgeUSA private sector exchange programs
   The Alliance recommends that the Trump Administration prioritize the well-being and growth of the State Department’s BridgeUSA private sector exchange programs, also known as “J-1 visa programs.” BridgeUSA programs, all limited-term and non-immigrant, contribute to the success of many aspects of American business, education, and family life. Program participants not only play vital roles in American life, but they also pay their own way and come at no cost to the U.S. taxpayer. In addition, BridgeUSA exchange participants traveling to the U.S. contributed at least $584.6 million to the U.S. economy in 2023 before returning home. The Alliance will release its BridgeUSA Regulatory Policy Agenda at the start of 2025 and looks forward to coordinating with the Administration to move this agenda forward on specific programmatic interests.  

• Policy Priority #3: Increase the number of international students studying in the U.S. 
  The Alliance recommends that the Trump Administration prioritize the growth of international college and university students studying in the U.S. International students contribute to the U.S. economy and create American jobs and having a cadre of U.S.-educated political and business leaders around the world forwards U.S. interests. The Alliance is a founding member of the U.S. for Success Coalition, a group of organizations that seek to achieve this policy goal, which looks forward to working with the Trump Administration to bring more international students to our country for our economic and diplomatic benefit.   

• Policy Priority #4: Create more access for American students and young professionals to study and work abroad 
  The Alliance recommends that the Trump Administration prioritize creating more opportunities for American students and young professionals to study and work abroad to keep pace and achieve reciprocity with many other countries around the world. Only 280,000 American students studied abroad in 2022-23, while more than 1 million international students came to the U.S. Studying, interning, and working abroad should not be viewed as a luxury for young Americans, but rather a necessity. International experience is a crucial component of a 21st century education and vital to building leadership skills; allows Americans to succeed in the modern marketplace; and plays an important role in developing the global mindset needed to balance local and international challenges

• Policy Priority #5: Ensure effective and secure processing of exchange visitor and international student visas by the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs 
  The Alliance recommends that the Trump Administration provide sufficient resources to the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs. By doing so, the Administration will ensure U.S. consular officers can continue to provide visas to the qualified and fully vetted applicants who bring so much value to our country. A well-resourced Consular Affairs Bureau is able to encourage the continued mobility of non-immigrant exchange participants and international students to the U.S., ensuring we continue to benefit from the economic and diplomatic impact of these programs. 

The full policies priority paper is available here, along with a summary one-pager. 

The Alliance team would like to thank all those who contributed to these priorities and recommendations. The international educational and cultural exchange community is at its strongest when it comes together as a unified voice to advocate for the continued success and growth of these life-changing programs. 

Please contact Mark Overmann at movermann@alliance-exchange.org with any inquiries.