During the recent House State-Foreign Operations (SFOPS) Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on the administration’s FY2018 budget request for the Department of State, Pennsylvania Congressman Charlie Dent (R) voiced his strong support for educational and cultural exchange programs and expressed concern about the 55% cut to exchange program funding proposed by the Trump administration for FY2018.
Focusing particularly on the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) program, Congressman Dent explained:
“On cultural exchange programs – something that’s important. It’s a 55% cut. I’m familiar with one of them, the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program … We invest in that, the Germans invest in it. The highest levels of that government will talk to me about it and say it’s important … I think when we make these kinds of cuts, we have to think about not only our investment but others who are investing in the same types of programs. Particularly allies and particularly when they’re relatively small numbers of dollars in multi-billion dollar budgets. I think we have to be a little bit more nuanced and precise because I think it sends a message for a relatively small amount of money … In that case, we’re talking about former enemies who are now great allies.”
To which Secretary Tillerson replied:
“I think not just in allies but even as we’re trying to develop relationships with adversaries, to give us the ability to talk to one another and understand one another, these types of cultural people-to-people programs are very important … The best diplomatic tool really is economic development and economic relations between countries because as people can tie their own economic well-being to this other nation and they see benefits of those relationships, that strengthens the understanding of the population of one another. The cultural exchanges only help strengthen that.”
View the exchange here, then take 5 minutes to sign your name on a letter to your Congressperson to ask for their support of maximum funding for our programs. While every legislator responds differently, below is an example of the kind of impact your letter could have.
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Dear Neighbor,
Thank you for contacting me regarding Federal funding for International Exchange Programs. I appreciate you taking the time to make me aware of your concerns on this important matter.
I believe that the United States has a responsibility as a global leader to support our allies around the world and remain actively engaged in the international community. The Education and Cultural Exchange (ECE) programs operated by the U.S. Department of State (State) help educate future world leaders and expand America’s connection with our allies around the world.
President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Blueprint proposal to slash the budgets of State and the United States Agency for International Development by 31 percent will harm our diplomatic capabilities and hurt those most in need of these programs. In Illinois alone, Federal private-sector exchange programming accounted for 9,539 exchange visitors in 2015. These international students studying at Illinois colleges and universities spent $1.6 billion while living in Illinois, which support local businesses and jobs.
I share your concerns about President Trump’s proposals to cut our vital diplomatic programs and you may be pleased to know that I recently joined my colleagues in writing to the Senate Appropriations Committee in support of fully funding the Fiscal Year 2018 International Affairs Budget. International Assistance advances our own national interests while helping those in need, and I will fight to protect this critical funding.
Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. If you would like more information on my work in the Senate, please visit my website at www.duckworth.senate.gov. You can find upcoming events in the state, sign up for my newsletter, access my voting record and see what I am doing to address today’s most important issues. I hope that you will continue to share your views and opinions with me and let me know whenever I may be of assistance to you.
Sincerely,
The Honorable Tammy Duckworth
United States Senator