Appropriations
The educational and cultural exchange (ECE) programs appropriations fund educational, professional, and cultural exchange programs that are crucial to achieving United States’ foreign policy objectives. Each year, the Alliance submits requests to congressional committees in support of robust ECE funding. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, Congress funded U.S. Department of State’s educational and cultural exchange programs at $741 million, a 4.7% cut from FY23 enacted level.
Funding for exchange programs delivers significant benefits to the United States. Over 90% of the exchange funding is spent in the United States or invested directly in its citizens or organizations, thereby strengthening the American economy. Additionally, people-to-people exchanges help promote increased understanding among nations through a public diplomacy approach, which supports our national security.
Please see below for key resources relating to these efforts, including actions taken by the Alliance to advocate for congressional funding for educational and cultural exchange funding.
Key Resources
- FY25 Key Resources
- FY24 Key Resources
- FY23 Key Resources
- FY22 Key Resources
- FY21 Key Resources
- FY20 Key Resources
- FY19 Key Resources
- FY18 Key Resources
- FY2025 State Department Congressional Budget Justification (ECE funding on pages 60-64)
- White House budget appendix for the Department of State and other international programs
- Biden Administration FY2025 proposed budget
- FY2024 Senate letter supporting international exchange programs funding
- FY2024 House letter supporting international exchange programs funding
- FY2024 State Department Congressional Budget Justification (ECE funding on pages 57-61)
- White House budget appendix for the Department of State and other international programs
- Biden Administration FY2024 proposed budget
- FY2023 Senate letter supporting international exchange programs funding
- FY2023 House letter supporting international exchange programs funding
- FY2023 State Department Congressional Budget Justification
- White House budget appendix for the Department of State and other international programs
- Biden Administration FY2023 proposed budget
- FY2022 State Department Congressional Budget Justification
- White House budget appendix for the Department of State and other international programs
- White House FY2022 proposed budget
- FY2022 Senate letter supporting international exchange programs funding
- FY2022 House letter supporting international exchange programs funding
- White House FY2022 discretionary budget request
- FY2021 Senate letter supporting international exchange programs funding.
- FY2021 House letter supporting international exchange programs funding.
- House Resolution 845 – Recognizing that international education and exchange programs further national security and foreign policy priorities, enhance economic competitiveness, and promote mutual understanding and cooperation among nations.
- FY2021 State Department Congressional Budget Justification.
- White House FY2021 Proposed Budget.
- FY2020 Senate letter supporting international exchange programs funding.
- FY2020 House letter supporting international exchange programs funding.
- FY2020 State Department Congressional Budget Justification.
- White House FY2020 Proposed Budget.
- FY2019 Senate letter supporting international exchange programs funding.
- FY2019 House letter supporting international exchange programs funding.
- FY2019 State Department Congressional Budget Justification.
- White House FY2019 Proposed Budget.
- FY2018 Senate letter supporting international exchange programs funding.
- FY2018 House letter supporting international exchange programs funding.
- Senate Resolution 357 – A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that international education and exchange programs further United States national security and foreign policy priorities, enhance United States economic competitiveness, and promote mutual understanding and cooperation among nations, and for other purposes.
- House Resolution 470 – Recognizing that international education and exchange programs further national security and foreign policy priorities, enhance economic competitiveness, and promote mutual understanding and cooperation among nations.
- 1,200+ Veterans Take Aim at Budget Cuts for State in a letter to Congress.
- Letter from 163 former U.S. Ambassadors supporting international exchange programs.
- Op-Ed – International Exchange Programs Receive Unprecedented Support.
- Op-Ed – International Exchange Programs are Vital to America’s Security.
Program & Policy Updates
Same Number, Different Story: Takeaways from the President’s FY25 Budget Request
The FY25 request includes a proposed 1% increase ($656 million) for the IA Budget from the FY23 adjusted enacted level, raising it to $64.4 billion. Within that funding, Educational and Cultural Exchange Program (ECE) funding has been allocated $777.5 million (DOS Budget Appendix, pg. 751-752), which is the same amount as the current FY23 enacted level.
Meeting Unfulfilled Demand: $808.6 million for exchange programs in FY25
The Appropriations Working Group recently decided on an ask of $808.6 million for DOS educational and cultural exchanges (ECE) in FY25. Here’s how we arrived at that number.
FY24 Appropriations Recap and Outlook
Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have completed their subcommittee and full committee markups of their respective State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) bills in recent weeks. Educational and cultural exchanges were funded at $700.95M (approx. 10% decrease) by the House bill and $779.5M (approx. 0.25% increase) by the Senate bill. See the chart below for more details and a comparison with the President’s budget request and current enacted level.
Biden Administration’s FY24 Budget Request: Proposed Exchanges Funding Explained
The Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) appropriations cycle is officially in full swing with the release of the Biden Administration’s proposed budget late last week. The President’s $6.8 trillion request, while unlikely to be enacted in the current divided Congress, presents a starting point for the negotiations to come.