Recognizing the 80th anniversary of the Fulbright Program.

Recognizing the 80th anniversary of the Fulbright Program.

Whereas August 1, 2026, marks the 80th anniversary of President Harry S. Truman signing into law the Act of August 1, 1946 (60 Stat. 754, chapter 723) (commonly known as the “Fulbright Act of 1946”);

Whereas the Fulbright Program was established by Senator James William Fulbright of Arkansas for the “promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture, and science”;

Whereas the Fulbright Program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State;

Whereas the Fulbright Program provides approximately 9,000 grants annually and, as of 2026, operates in more than 160 countries, including 49 that have established cost-sharing binational commissions;

Whereas Fulbright students and scholars have hailed from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and American Samoa;

Whereas the Fulbright Program provides unique opportunities for the people of the United States to receive the best cultural and academic education in the world;

Whereas more than 450,000 individuals from the United States and across the world have benefitted from the Fulbright program;

Whereas alumni of the Fulbright Program include 63 Nobel Prize laureates, 94 recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, 44 heads of State, 17 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, 11 members of Congress, a former Secretary-General of the United Nations, a former Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and an astronaut who set foot on the moon;

Whereas the Fulbright Program promotes United States higher education abroad and remains a valuable diplomatic tool; and

Whereas the Fulbright Program advances national security by building international relationships and good will towards the United States: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate—

(1) recognizes the 80th anniversary of the Fulbright Program;

(2) supports the work of the Fulbright Program and other educational and cultural affairs programs to advance the foreign policy and national security of the United States;

(3) congratulates all past and present recipients of Fulbright awards; and

(4) calls on students, scholars, and professionals around the world to seek out opportunities to engage with each other and promote international understanding and partnership.