Dear Erica,
On the heels of the FY2027 Presidential Budget Request (PBR) that eliminates funding for the Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs at the Department of Education, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) are leading a bipartisan sign-on letter that rejects that notion and instead calls for robust funding for these programs. The deadline for signatures is next Tuesday, April 21! Urge your senators to add their name!
You may also recall that the PBR proposed cutting funding for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) programs at the State Department by 68 percent, including eliminating the Gilman International Scholarship Program, which provides American undergraduates with high financial need the ability to study or intern abroad. A group of Gilman advisors and supporters is hosting a virtual dialogue that will provide updates, a forum for questions, and guidance on how to take action on April 23 at 4 pm EST. It is open to anyone who supports the Gilman program. As our friends in NAFSA Region I said, we can’t let these pathways for mutual understanding and global diplomacy be dismantled! Add your name to our call to Congress to restore and sustain funding for all international education programs at the Departments of State and Education.
Meanwhile, Congress is starting work on its FY2027 funding bills, beginning on the House side. The House Appropriations Subcommittee overseeing ECA programs will meet to review and approve the FY2027 State Department funding bill next Thursday! Send your messages of support for these programs (if you haven't already) before they meet!
The urgent case for student visa processing improvements continues to build. Shorelight, a fellow member of the U.S. for Success Coalition, released a report that shows the denial rate of U.S. student visas reached their highest level in a decade in 2025. Their findings show that the denial rate for F-1 visas climbed to 35 percent, up from 31 percent in 2024. It also identified “localized refusal clusters” and posited that “when a student’s likelihood of entry depends more on their country of origin that their academic credentials or funding, the integrity of the U.S. visa system is compromised.” Urge Congress to intervene, to ensure the State Department prioritizes visa processing for students and exchange visitors and exempts them from the current travel bans.
As the conflict in the Middle East continues, supporting international educators caught in the crossfire is vitally important. NAFSA held a virtual event, “Voices from the Field: Reflections on the Middle East” this week and NAFSA CEO, Fanta Aw, captured some of the key takeaways on LinkedIn. Taking care of self is essential to all international educators now navigating unprecedented levels of complexity, change, and emotional labor. Consider joining NAFSA’s upcoming webinar series, "Culture of Care." The series kicks off on April 24 with the session, “Building a Culture of Care: Micro Lessons on Self and Community Practice." The series is free for NAFSA members.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Thank you for reading--and acting!
Best,
Erica
Erica Stewart
Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
