Latest news with #MarkOvermann
Newsweek
a day ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Fears Over Fulbright's Future as Trump Admin Cuts Exchange Programs
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. 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.
Newsweek
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Trump Visa Crackdown Snags Au Pairs
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trump administration's pause on some visa interviews last week did not just affect international students, but many American families reliant on foreign au pairs coming to the United States. The State Department paused new visa processing for a handful of categories, including J-1, otherwise known as the Exchange Visitor Program, under the premise that it needed to tighten vetting processes to avoid national security threats entering the country. While much of the focus has been on the F-1 student visa, the J-1 encompasses a whole range of programs allowing foreign workers to come to the country temporarily, from camp counselors to medical staff to au pairs. Around 5,600 of the latter were expected to enter the U.S. in the next four months. Mark Overmann, executive director of the Alliance of International Exchange, told Newsweek that many potential visa holders had already begun making travel plans, and even been matched with host families before the pause. "All that, every day that the pause continues, will start to get thrown into disarray," Overmann said. "That will disrupt potential au pairs' travel plans, and experience plans, for the next year, but also really put American families, working families, who are counting on having this au pair in their home to care for their children, that will really disrupt their lives in meaningful and difficult ways." InterExchange, which also advocates for and helps with the J-1 program, estimates that au pairs spend an average of $143.8 million each year in the U.S., and that 87 percent of families who rely on au pairs would not be able to find sufficient childcare if they did not have access to the program. In 2023, the last full year of data available, over 21,400 au pairs took part in the program. In total, roughly 348,000 people obtained J-1 visas. A Colombian woman who took part in the au pair program and now has an F-1 student visa spoke with Newsweek on condition of anonymity, explaining that the initial experience of obtaining her visa was smooth three years ago. "My relationship with the host family was great. We're still in touch. It was a beautiful experience—I think for both of us," she said. "I took care of three kids. One of them was a newborn when I arrived, so his first words were in Spanish. I think it was a very meaningful experience for them." A pause on the J-1 visa, which includes a category for au pairs, could affect future childcare for American families, advocacy groups are warning. Photo for illustration purposes only. A pause on the J-1 visa, which includes a category for au pairs, could affect future childcare for American families, advocacy groups are warning. Photo for illustration purposes only. Getty Images While it remains popular, the program has not been without controversy. In 2019, a dozen former au pairs from multiple countries sued the companies that recruited them, alleging they had been overworked and that companies had kept hold of a share of the wages meant for them. A $65.5 million settlement was later reached. At the time, the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Economic Policy Institute (EPI) said that the federal government, including Congress, needed to act to make substantial changes to the program to protect workers and increase oversight. However, the pause by the Trump administration is not to look at these issues, but to reportedly increase scrutiny of the applicants themselves, including analyzing their social media presence and posts. Newsweek asked the State Department about its decision and the potential impact on American families. A spokesperson did not address the second part of the question, instead repeating the message that getting a U.S. visa was "a privilege, not a right". The spokesperson also said that au pairs and other potential J-1 recipients were welcome to continue to submit applications and wait for new slots to become available at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, adding that "they need to be fully truthful in their applications when they do so." With the J-1 visa initially available for 12 months, the Colombian woman Newsweek spoke to has since left her host family and role as an au pair, but remained in the U.S. "Of course, I have to stay super alert because I switched from my J-1 visa to an F-1 visa, and I still have student status, and with everything going on, anything could happen, right?" she said. "You live with the risk that your visa could suddenly be canceled, and you'd have to go back. Right now, having student status doesn't guarantee you'll be safe in the country." Hitting pause on programs, which do see applicants heavily vetted before visa approval, has caused concern among immigration advocates, but Overmann said many American communities would only start to notice once the flow of J-1 holders eases. "So many exchange programs from au pair to camp counselor to summer work travel to teacher to high school are so really embedded in American communities in ways that so many Americans understand and experience and benefit from on a daily basis, but many don't even quite realize that they're interacting with benefiting from exchange participants and exchange programs," he said. For now, those with visa appointments can still head to their embassy to continue the J-1 process, but Overmann, the organizations he works with, and the American families reliant on au pairs are anxiously waiting for an end date on the pause from the State Department. .
