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Fears Over Fulbright's Future as Trump Admin Cuts Exchange Programs
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The Trump administration is moving to cut over 20 cultural exchange programs under the Department of State, it was reported Friday, raising concerns that flagship programs like Fulbright could be next.
The Alliance for International Exchange told Newsweek that it had learned that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had decided to cut at least 22 offerings from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) totaling around $100 million in annual funding.
"While this does not impact flagship programs like Fulbright, Gilman, and IVLP at the moment, it sets a dangerous precedent," Mark Overmann, executive director of the Alliance, told Newsweek. "If OMB is allowed to act with impunity and unilaterally and cancel already appropriated ECA funding, it opens the door for them to do it again and again in the future."
A State Department spokesperson told Newsweek that selected educational and cultural program grants were not being awarded in 2025, following a "careful review" of the current fiscal environment.
Why It Matters
The U.S. offers a variety of cultural exchange programs, where foreign nationals can come to the country on a temporary basis for a variety of work experience opportunities. Under the Trump administration, there have been moves to tighten the rules around temporary immigration, with several visa programs put at risk.
What To Know
President Donald Trump's OMB was said to be making the cuts to already-allocated funding for fiscal year 2025, following a delay in the process to secure the cash for late September.
The following programs are reported to be affected, according to the Alliance for International Exchange:
Community College Administrator Program (CCAP)
Community College Initiative Program (CCI)
Community Engagement Exchange (CEE, Leahy Initiative on Civil Society)
Council of American Overseas Research Centers
English Access Scholarship Program
English Language Fellow Program
Global Undergraduate Exchange Program
IDEAS Program
International Center for Middle Eastern-Western Dialogue (Hollings Center)
Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) and YES Abroad Program
Leaders Lead On-Demand
Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders
Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program
National Clearinghouse for Disability and Exchange (NCDE)
Professional Fellows Program
Survey of International Educational Exchange Activity (IEEA) in the United States
TechWomen
The J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative
U.S. Congress-Korea National Assembly Exchange Program
U.S.-South Pacific Scholarship Program (USSP)
Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellowship
Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellowship Program (PFP)
Many of these programs fall under the J visa issued by the State Department. It is a temporary visa which allows immigrants to work in a variety of roles, from camp counselors to teaching positions to au pairs.
The first on the list, the CCAP, was seen as widely successful in a 2024 State Department report, with officials finding that alumni were provided with "theoretical and practical knowledge that directly contributes to participants' ability to influence change within their home institutions and to change education policy as well."
Several of these programs are viewed as ways for U.S. culture and practices to be shared around the world by those who return to their home countries once their visa term ends.
The U.S.' cultural exchange programs stem from the Fulbright scholarship, which is seen as one of the most prestigious programs of its kind in the world, with American students traveling elsewhere and foreign nationals headed to the U.S.
While Fulbright was not seen as at-risk under the planned cuts, Overmann stressed that the flagship cultural exchange scholarship started by Senator J. William Fulbright in the 1940s could be next.
The Alliance also warned that thousands of American students currently abroad on ECA funding could be left stranded if programs were suddenly cut.
Office lights are illuminated in the U.S. Department of State headquarters building at dusk on July 11 in Washington, D.C.
Office lights are illuminated in the U.S. Department of State headquarters building at dusk on July 11 in Washington, D.C.
People Are Saying
Executive Director of the Alliance for International Exchange Mark Overmann, in his statement to Newsweek: "This endangers the future of Fulbright, Gilman, and all international exchange programs and the effectiveness of U.S. public diplomacy."
A State Department spokesperson referred Newsweek to previous comments by Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, every policy we pursue must be justified by the answer to one of three questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Or does it make America more prosperous?"
What Happens Next?
The State Department is yet to formally announce the change, with uncertainty remaining for the hundreds of participants likely caught up in the cuts.
