In August, the Trump administration cut $100 million of Fiscal Year 2025 funds for over 20 U.S. State Department educational and cultural exchange programs. The list included the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), which has brought thousands of Southeast Asian youths to the United States since 2013. Many of the funds, already congressionally approved, had been frozen since February.
According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, every aspect of U.S. decision-making must be guided by the answer to one of three questions: “Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Or does it make America more prosperous?”
YSEALI fulfills all three. Amid cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), high tariffs, and U.S. support for Israel, Southeast Asian youths have been growing distrustful of the United States. Programs like YSEALI are a cost-effective way to bolster U.S. credibility in the region. YSEALI alumni have gone on to hold prominent leadership positions in their countries, shaping foreign policy relevant to the United States. Cutting YSEALI ultimately risks weakening U.S.
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