The Voice News :All 12 members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigned on Wednesday, accusing the Trump administration of politicizing and undermining the prestigious international academic exchange program.
In a public statement, the board alleged that the administration overstepped its authority by denying Fulbright awards to many selected scholars for the 2025–2026 academic year. They also warned that an additional 1,200 international recipients are currently being subjected to an unauthorized review process, potentially facing rejection.
“These actions contradict the statute and go against the Fulbright mission and core values, including free speech and academic freedom,” the board declared.
The Fulbright Program, established in 1946 under President Truman and funded by the U.S. government, operates in over 160 countries, annually offering approximately 4,000 scholarships to international students, researchers, and artists.
The board noted that many of the blocked awards were in fields such as biology, engineering, agriculture, biochemistry, and medical sciences. Despite repeatedly raising legal and ethical concerns with senior administration officials, the board said its objections were ignored.
A senior State Department official responded by calling the board’s resignation “a political stunt” aimed at undermining President Trump, insisting that the board should not have final say in selecting recipients, especially regarding alignment with presidential directives.
In their parting statement, the board called on Congress, the judiciary, and future Fulbright leaders to safeguard the program from political influence.
“Injecting ideology into the Fulbright Program violates the spirit and intent of a law that has stood for nearly eight decades,” the board concluded.
