Released this past Friday, the President’s FY26 budget proposal would essentially eliminate State Department international exchange programs. I am writing to you, as I need you to write to your members of Congress now and tell them to reject this budget proposal!
Author: Tara Hofmann
On behalf of everyone at AFS-USA, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your participation in advocating for the timely distribution of funding for exchange programs. Thanks to your efforts, our AFS community contributed significantly to the more than 24,000 letters sent to over 500 Congressional offices from the international exchange community. This was […]
Rep. Chellie Pingree is leading a Dear Colleague letter to Secretary Rubio about the grants freeze. You can see the text of the letter here. We ask that you please reach out to your Members of Congress to ask them to co-sign the letter.
We need immediate action from Congress to demand the Department of State release these critical funds. We urge you to contact your Senators and Representatives and share the real impact of this funding freeze—on students, host families, and communities across the U.S.
If you’re wondering what you can do to help during this very challenging time, let me tell you in a very straightforward way – we need you to welcome a student into your home for a few weeks this fall to ensure they can participate on the program and start school.
View the message from the President of AFS-USA, here!
Please take a few minutes to watch this video message.
Please consider welcoming one or more of these students into your home for a few weeks while a permanent family can be found.
President and CEO of AFS-USA, Tara Hofmann, shares her gratitude towards host families and their contributions.
Your service to AFS-USA is our greatest resource. I need to talk with you about your invaluable contributions and share an important direction we need to take.