{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-collins-urge-omb-state-department-to-reverse-funding-cuts-for-21-educational-and-cultural-exchange-programs", "Booker, Collins Urge OMB, State Department to Reverse Funding Cuts for 21 Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs", "2025-09-25", "2025", "2025-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Susan Collins (R-ME) called on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to restore congressionally approved fiscal year 2025 (FY25) funding for 21 Department of State educational and cultural exchange programs. These programs were fully funded in the final FY25 appropriations legislation, have an agreed upon FY25 spend plan with the Administration, and have longstanding bipartisan support in Congress.\n\n\u201cThe educational and cultural exchange programs funded through the Bureau of Education andCultural Affairs (ECA) advance U.S. national security, strengthen economic competitiveness,\n\nand reinforce democratic values\u2014all of which are core pillars of U.S. foreign policy and essential to the Administration\u2019s foreign policy agenda. These programs are proven and cost-effective ways to strengthen U.S. global leadership and credibility, promote American values worldwide, and contribute to the safety, security, and prosperity of our country and the American people,\u201d the Senators wrote.\n\n\u201cQuite simply, international exchanges are one of the best returns on investment spent across the entire federal budget: 90% of exchange funding is spent on Americans or inside the United States. Additionally, U.S.-funded exchanges leverage millions more in private and international government contributions,\u201d the Senators continued.\n\n\u201cPredictable and timely release of appropriated funding is essential to ensure these programsfunction as intended and maintain rigorous selection processes, adequate support infrastructure, and global reach. The cancelation of these programs undermines long-standing partnerships, harms U.S. credibility and leadership abroad, and wastes taxpayer dollars,\u201d the Senators continued.\n\nSenators Booker and Collins request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the State Department take immediate action to release all FY25 Congressionally appropriated funds for these critical programs without further delay:\n\nCommunity College Administrator Program (CCAP)\n\nCommunity College Initiative Program (CCI)\n\nCommunity Engagement Exchange (CEE, Leahy Initiative on Civil Society)\n\nCommunity Solutions Program (CSP)\n\nCouncil of American Overseas Research Centers\n\nEnglish Access Scholarship Program\n\nEnglish Language Fellow Program\n\nGlobal Undergraduate Exchange Program\n\nIDEAS Program\n\nKennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) and YES Abroad Program\n\nLeaders Lead On-Demand\n\nMandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI)\n\nNational Clearinghouse for Disability and Exchange (NCDE)\n\nProfessional Fellows Program\n\nSurvey of International Educational Exchange Activity (IEEA) in the United States\n\nTechWomen\n\nThe J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative\n\nU.S. Congress-Korea National Assembly Exchange Program\n\nU.S.-South Pacific Scholarship Program (USSP)\n\nYoung Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellowship\n\nYoung Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellowship Program\n\n(PFP)", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-collins-urge-omb-state-department-to-reverse-funding-cuts-for-21-educational-and-cultural-exchange-programs"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4274711720645428, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}