Board of Fulbright Program resigns after accusing Trump administration of 'unlawful' actions
Named for Arkansas Democratic Sen. William Fulbright, the Fulbright Program awards scholarships for American students to study overseas.
Yet in a startling move, all members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board recently quit over what they claim is interference from the Trump administration.
Former board members claim administration "usurped" their authority
According to The Hill, the former board members revealed that move via a statement which was posted to Substack on Wednesday.
The twelve individuals announced that they would not "endorse unprecedented actions that we believe are impermissible under the law, compromise U.S. national interests and integrity, and undermine the mission and mandates Congress established for the Fulbright program nearly 80 years ago."
"We believe these actions not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values, including free speech and academic freedom, that Congress specified in the statute," the former board members continued.
Ex-board members call program "a bipartisan pillar of American diplomacy"
They went on to describe the Fulbright Program as "a bipartisan pillar of American diplomacy" and "an enduring symbol of our nation’s commitment to mutual understanding and diplomacy, academic excellence, and international cooperation."
"This proud legacy has depended on one thing above all: the integrity of the program’s selection process based on merit, not ideology, and its insulation from political interference," they insisted before adding, "That integrity is now undermined."
The former board members declared that their decision to collectively step down had not been taken "lightly" but was instead intended to avoid "legitimizing actions we believe are unlawful."
"It is our sincere hope that Congress, the courts, and future Fulbright Boards will prevent the administration’s efforts to degrade, dismantle, or even eliminate one of our nation’s most respected and valuable programs,” the group added as they drew to a close.
State Department official says board members were "political appointees"
The Hill noted that the Fulbright Program is administered by the Department of State, and a senior State Department official pushed back on the board members' claim of being nonpartisan.
"The 12 members of the Fulbright Board were partisan political appointees of the Biden Administration," the official was quoted as saying.
"It's ridiculous to believe that these members would continue to have final say over the application process, especially when it comes to determining academic suitability and alignment with President Trump’s Executive Orders," the official insisted.
"The claim that the Fulbright Hayes Act affords exclusive and final say over Fulbright Applications to the Fulbright board is false. This is nothing but a political stunt attempting to undermine President Trump," the figure concluded.
