To require the Secretary of State to submit a report on participation in educational and cultural exchange programs.
Sponsored By: Representative Bera, Ami [D-CA-6]
In Committee
Summary
This bill would declare international educational and cultural exchanges vital to U.S. security and diplomacy and would require steps to strengthen U.S. exchange programs. It would make the State Department produce detailed, country-level reports on both U.S. and People’s Republic of China exchange programs to measure reach and influence.
Show full summary
- Congress and oversight bodies would receive a country-disaggregated report within 180 days and then every five years. Reports must list the number of people in PRC-sponsored programs and in covered U.S. programs.
- The State Department would have to report program-level data such as U.S. funding, participant counts, number of cohorts, countries of origin, and ages. It would also report outcome measures like percent reporting more favorable views of the U.S., first-time travel to the United States, likelihood to recommend studying in the U.S., increased understanding of U.S. culture, support for democratic values, and awareness the program is a State Department program.
- Exchange program managers would face regular monitoring and evaluation through the Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Innovation Unit. Named programs include the Fulbright Program, the Young African Leaders Initiative including the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program, and the Future Leaders Exchange Program.
- Reports must compare PRC-sponsored and U.S.-sponsored programming and include trend analyses and assessments of diplomatic and strategic impact. That comparison is meant to inform U.S. strategy for maintaining influence in key countries.
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Bill Overview
No Economic Impacts Identified for this Bill
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Bera, Ami [D-CA-6]
CA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2]
SC • R
Sponsored 12/4/2025
Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/18/2025
Rep. Olszewski, Johnny [D-MD-2]
MD • D
Sponsored 1/7/2026
McBride
DE • D
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]
NY • R
Sponsored 3/3/2026
Rep. Sherman, Brad [D-CA-32]
CA • D
Sponsored 3/3/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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