Alliance Commentary
Analysis of the latest news around Washington, D.C. and the exchange community from Alliance staff and members.House Bill Introduced Supporting the Au Pair Program
On Thursday, September 19, 2024, legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives regarding the modernization of the federal Au Pair Program. Sponsored by Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R, PA-14), the Modernizing the Au Pair Program Act. H.R. 9677 (the MAP Act)...
Introducing the 2024 McCarry Leadership Award winners!
Introducing the 2024 McCarry Leadership Awardees!
Member Reflections: Summer of Action
This summer, the Alliance led a local advocacy initiative from Memorial Day through Labor Day to increase awareness and understanding of the benefits of international exchange programs on Americans and their communities. Summer of Action served as an opportunity for...
FY25 Appropriations: Lessons Learned and What’s Next
By: Andrea Bodine Members of Congress soon return to Washington and will then quickly run up to the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 on September 30. The House has passed less than half of its twelve appropriations bills, while the Senate has passed none, creating yet...
FY25 Senate State-Foreign Operations Bill Provides Strong Response to Global Challenges
The Alliance for International Exchange thanks the Senate Appropriations Committee for demonstrating its bipartisan support of Department of State educational and cultural exchanges by allocating a 2.7% funding increase over the FY24 enacted level in its recently...
Summer of Action 2024: Midpoint Highlights and Reflections
By Andrea Bodine It’s hard to believe that August is nearly here, and with it, the last push for Summer of Action! As we enter the final month of this new initiative, I find it helpful to take stock of the work we have done so far to drive us forward in the coming...
5 Reasons to Register for the 2024 Annual Conference
Register for the 2024 Alliance Annual Conference by September 16!
McCarry Leadership Award – Call for Nominations
As the international education and exchange field continues to evolve, championing emerging leaders in the field is essential for its continued advancement and success. With this in mind, we are thrilled to announce this year’s launch of the McCarry Leadership Award –...
Celebrate Exchange Day on August 5!
Celebrate Exchange Day on Monday, August 5! Learn more at: https://exchangeday2024.weebly.com/
Advocacy Update: Amendments threatening exchanges defeated
On Thursday, June 20, 2024, lawmakers introduced three amendments to the FY25 House State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) funding bill that threatened to cut funding and programming for educational and cultural exchanges (ECE). One amendment was withdrawn and two were voted down.