Impact of U.S. Federal Administrative Actions on the ELT Field: The First 100 Days

by Jeff Hutcheson, Director Advocacy & Public Policy |

Corrected, 30 April 2025

The current U.S. administration has taken numerous actions in its first 100 days that have direct and detrimental impact upon the English language teaching (ELT) profession and the multilingual learners of English (MLEs) that ELT educators serve. The effects of these actions are being felt by local schools and communities, universities, and state systems and educators across the globe.

TESOL International Association (TESOL), in keeping with its policy priorities, has spoken out about the concerns and challenges these actions have upon our field and their repercussions for generations to come. The U.S. federal actions have compound and cascading effects that threaten educators beyond borders, touching systems and learners everywhere who rely upon the resources of the U.S. Department of State (USDOS) and the U.S. Department of Education (USED) to equip all peoples in learning English and valuing the linguistic and cultural diversity that enriches the individual, the nation, and the world.

Though many of these actions may be presently paused or are being litigated, people suffer, and knowledge is lost. One does not easily “pick back up” after all research and resources are abandoned. In February 2025, TESOL conducted a brief survey on that impact, hearing from more than 700 respondents on how funding loss has affected their work. Overwhelmingly, the reports focused upon loss of tools and resources, such as professional development and research for effective teaching. Respondents also pointed to the loss of resources for new Americans and the challenges faced by the funding cuts supporting citizenship services.

Since that survey, the challenges and funding cuts persist. The federal funding pause on the USDOS has yet to be systematically lifted; these actions include the funding freeze for refugee resettlement; the defunding of the Voice of America, including all its resources for English language teaching; the freezing of funding for the Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program, which serves thousands of individuals on their path to U.S. citizenship; and the USED workforce reduction and funding pause, which was detrimental to various offices (e.g., the Office of English Language Acquisition, the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, the Office of International Foreign Language Education, and the Office for Civil Rights) and also to educational research and data, hobbling the department from carrying out statutory responsibilities.

TESOL and its members stand opposed to actions that devalue, defund, and deprive educators and learners, and instead advocate for the preservation of resources and protection of access and rights for all. Together, we are taking action in the face of these challenges and invite all to join our commitment to advancing the ELT field and supporting MLEs across the globe. You can help by taking these actions:

As we go forward, TESOL remains resolute in working with members, peer associations, our affiliate network, government agencies, and the public to face these challenges and ensure that educators and communities have the resources necessary to support learners, research, and scholarship.

Correction: the original posting included the threat to funding of Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), which holds a treasure trove of historical data and research on education (see here). After this post, the USED has announced that it has "has renewed its contract with AEM Corporation to continue the work of ERIC."

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