Scholars stranded in America and abroad amid funding freeze of state department programs

WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Aubrey Lay — a Fulbright scholar — was supposed to get paid for three months of work by the U.S. government through his teaching assistantship at a school for Ukrainian refugees in Estonia. Instead, he only got about one week's pay, and no word on when he might see the rest of his grant.

Lay is among scholars around the world who depend on State Department funding to participate in long-established programs like Fulbright and who say their payments have been abruptly cut off after getting a notice that officials were reviewing their activities. The move appears to be in line with the White House’s initiative to sharply slash government spending - a shakeup that has affected scores of federal agencies.

The government is facing even more dramatic changes in the coming weeks and months. President Donald Trump has directed agencies to prepare plans for widespread layoffs, known as reductions in force, that will likely require more limited operations at agencies that provide critical services.

The funding freeze has sparked panic among thousands of scholars who are stranded outside their home countries without clarity on the future of their programs or the money needed to support themselves.

In February, the U.S. State Department temporarily paused spending in an effort to review its programs and activities, according to NAFSA, an association of international educators. That included programs such as Fulbright, Gilman and Critical Language international scholarships. In the weeks since officials enacted the pause, some scholars and advocacy groups have said the flow of funds dried up for people's grants, yet there is no communication from U.S. officials on whether that will change.

The State Department did not comment on the funding freeze following an inquiry by the Associated Press over the weekend.

Lay found the lack of communication from U.S. officials troublesome. He was also left wondering about the future of the program that his grandmother also participated in decades ago. After it was established in 1946, the program has become a flagship for the U.S. government’s mission toward cross-cultural engagement. Worst for him is what it will mean for his students, particularly if he is forced to leave early.

“I don’t want to be one more thing that is changing and uncertain in their lives,” Lay said. “I can’t bear that thought."

Lay said he will be OK for another month, but he worries about participants with no extra money saved.

“The clarity that I’ve gotten is that nobody knows what’s going on?" he said. “The clarity that I’ve gotten is that every time I’ve asked anybody, they don’t know what’s happening, and they are just as confused as I am, as we all are.”

Thousands of scholars are in similar positions to Lay, according to the Fulbright Association, which is a nonprofit group comprising alumni. In a newsletter email, the association said the halt in funding impact “over 12,500 American students, youth, and professionals currently abroad or scheduled to participate in State Department programs in the next six months.”

Aside from U.S. citizens, the Fulbright Association also said the pause has cut funding for U.S. programs hosting more than 7,400 people.

Halyna Morozova, a Fulbright scholar from Kyiv teaching Ukrainian to students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, said she was at the airport Feb. 28 after what felt like a never-ending day. President Donald Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier that day in an extraordinary Oval Office meeting. The future of her country along with her family back home weighed heavily on her mind.

Then she got an email from the Institute of International Education, commonly referred to as IIE, which administers the Fulbright scholarship.

“IIE is currently authorized to send you a partial stipend equivalent to one week of your anticipated upcoming stipend payment,” the email said. “We will update you on future payments as soon as possible.”

Morozova panicked. She usually gets $750 each month. Now, she has to stretch $187.50 to make ends meet.

“It was very scary, I would say, not just because I am lost in another country,” she said. “We don't know if we will ever get another stipend here, and if they have enough money to buy our tickets home. So there are a lot of things that are not clear and not certain.”

Olga Bezhanova, a professor who manages Morozova and two other scholars, said the exchange program has been in place for nearly two decades at her university, becoming a bedrock of their language education. Now, she is trying to see if her university will supplement the funds being withheld by the federal government. If that doesn't work out, she said she was unsure of what else could be done.

“I have to look into the faces of these wonderful people, and they’re asking me: ‘Is this America? What is this?’” she said. “This is a mess.”

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Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.