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Education abroad transforms not just individual career outcomes, but economies for entire communities and industries. It has been linked to greater attractiveness in candidate pools and positive effects on early-career wages. And with more than 41 million jobs in the U.S. dependent on international trade, a globally competent workforce is more important than ever. 

​Dear colleagues, 

The Department of State has not released any information regarding the temporary 15-day pause that first began on February 12. The United States is hurting its own economic and national security interests by implementing this extraordinary freeze, which has yet to be lifted. If funding is not fully and immediately restored, businesses will find it harder to hire workers with global skills, the 3,500 Americans who are currently abroad on scholarships will be less safe, and the international education community’s ability to implement programs in the future will be irreparably harmed. Congress must follow through on the funding commitments they made if they want to preserve the future of America’s workforce and support student success. 

Dear Colleagues,

The U.S. Department of State’s ongoing freeze on funding for current and future grants is continues to wreak havoc on students and faculty who are currently abroad or planning to do in the next six months. The Forum on Education Abroad is collaborating with NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Alliance for International Exchange to increase awareness of the impact of the funding freeze and asking Congress to demand that freeze be immediately lifted.

On January 20, 2025, the White House issued Executive Order "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government."

Under this executive order, U.S. passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBAs) will no longer be issued with an X gender marker. Passports will only be issued with an M or F marker, reflecting the applicant’s biological sex at birth.

On January 27, 2025, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a directive to federal agencies to temporarily pause funding for certain programs, pending further review. Disruptions may have included federal funding for Title VI programs such as Fulbright-Hays, Centers for International Business Education and Research, and/or Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships, among others.