Aubrey Lay, a Fulbright scholar, was expected to receive compensation from the U.S. government for three months of work as a teaching assistant at a school for Ukrainian immigrants in Estonia. Rather than that, he received only roughly a week's salary and no indication of when he would receive the remainder of his award.

Lay is one of several researchers worldwide who rely on State Department money to engage in long-standing programs such as Fulbright and who claim that their payments were unexpectedly stopped when they were informed that officials were looking into their activities.

The action seems consistent with the White House's plan to drastically reduce government expenditure, which has had an impact on other federal departments.

In the upcoming weeks and months, the government will experience even more significant changes. President Donald Trump has instructed agencies to make plans for mass layoffs, also referred to as "reductions in force," which will probably necessitate fewer operations at organizations that provide vital services.

Thousands of academics are stranded outside of their home countries, uncertain about the future of their programs and the funds necessary to sustain themselves, and the funding freeze has caused them to worry.

NAFSA, an association of international educators, reports that the U.S. State Department temporarily halted spending in February to examine its activities and initiatives. This featured international scholarship programs like Fulbright, Gilman, and Critical Language.

Scholars and advocacy groups have reported that the flow of funding for people's awards has dried up in the weeks since officials implemented the hold, but U.S. officials have not responded to inquiries about whether this will change.

The Associated Press asked the State Department about the funding freeze, but the agency did not immediately answer.

The absence of communication from U.S. officials was problematic for Lay. The program in which his grandmother had also taken part decades before left him worrying about its future.

The initiative was created in 1946 and has since grown to become a symbol of the American government's efforts to engage people from different cultural backgrounds. What will happen to his students is worse for him, especially if he has to leave early.

The Fulbright Association, a nonprofit organization made up of graduates, says many of the academics are in similar circumstances to Lay.

The group noted in an email for its newsletter that more than 12,500 American professionals, students, and kids who are already overseas or who are expected to engage in State Department programs within the next six months will be impacted by the funding halt.

The suspension has reduced financing for U.S. programs that host almost 7,400 persons, according to the Fulbright Association, in addition to U.S. citizens.