Dear Erica,
Last Friday, we learned that the FY2027 Presidential Budget Request (PBR) proposed cutting funding for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) programs at the State Department by 68 percent compared to FY26 enacted levels. As outlined by the Alliance for International Exchange, of which NAFSA is a member, impacts of the proposed cuts include
- eliminating the Gilman Program, which provides American undergraduates with high financial need the ability to study or intern abroad, both of which are attractive experiences to employers;
- eliminating the Stevens Initiative, which creates leadership opportunities for rising American generations through virtual exchange; and
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reducing funding for the Fulbright Program by almost 80 percent, limiting the number of accomplished American students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals who can study, teach, conduct research, and contribute to finding solutions to complex global challenges.
The PBR also eliminates FY27 funding for the Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs at the Department of Education.
But don’t despair! We have been down this road before. The FY2026 President’s Budget Request was similarly dire (it requested a 93 percent reduction in ECA funding and zeroed out funding for Department of Education international education programs). Yet with the urging of constituents like you, Congress stood up for these programs, which have long enjoyed bipartisan support, and allocated $667 million for ECA programs and $80.7 million for programs Title VI and Fulbright-Hays. Constituent voices matter! Use yours to urge your members of Congress to fund these congressional-authorized programs that are integral to U.S. leadership and engagement with the world.
In last week’s issue, I highlighted NAFSA’s outreach to the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs on the urgent need to prioritize visa processing for international students and scholars and to exempt them from the travel bans now affecting 39 countries. The U.S. for Success Coalition, of which NAFSA is a founding member, reinforced these priorities in a letter to the Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs this week. Please urge Congress to intervene on this matter as well!
In an ongoing effort to help our members grasp the vast array of international student and scholar-related regulatory changes affecting the field, NAFSA Director of Immigration Practice Resources, David Fosnocht, has created a high-level recap of all that transpired during the first quarter of 2026. Have a look at this Regulatory Roundup!
One regulatory change that we are still awaiting is the publication of the final rule affecting Duration of Status (D/S) policy. Use this time to make sure your campus and your students are prepared for what may come next. NAFSA, the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and the International Student Resource Center are hosting a joint webinar on April 28 that will help international educators do just that. Speakers from these organizations and the law firm, McDermott Will & Shulte, will outline potential implications stemming from the expected end of D/S and identify tools and insights to navigate those changes.
Now for some celestial inspiration. The universe felt a little smaller this week with the release of never-seen-before images of the moon taken by the Artemis II lunar mission. Did you know that Christina Koch, the only female astronaut on this mission, was an exchange student at the University of Ghana in 1999? She proudly waved a Ghanaian flag from space, which moved the president of Ghana to observe in a Facebook post, “Christina’s journey from the classrooms of the University of Ghana to the frontiers of space exploration serves as a powerful inspiration to every young Ghanaian. It reminds us that our educational institutions continue to produce and shape global leaders who break barriers and reach for the stars.” Amen to that.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Thank you kindly.
Best,
Erica
Erica Stewart
Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
