Language is defined as a system of communication used by a particular country or community. But for me, it means so much more than that. It represents family, memory, and identity. When English isn’t enough to express the depth of my emotions, I often find myself switching to Telugu. Telugu is not just a language I speak; it is my home. It is the language of my childhood and an integral part of who I am.  Language holds context, emotions, and affection. Telugu is how I expres

House and Senate Appropriations Committees released a four bill FY26 “minibus” appropriations bill that contains final compromise funding levels for the Departments of Defense Labor, HHS, and Education. The great news is that the World Language Advancement and Readiness Grants program at the Department of Defense was not only preserved but received a 50% increase. Additionally, key K-12 programs that the Trump Administration proposed for elimination – including Title II-A (pr

The House Labor HHS Education Appropriations Subcommittee is expected to approve at its September 2nd mark-up a FY26 funding bill which would cut the Department of Education by $12 billion (-15% cut). It would also decimate key language education programs, eliminating funding for ESEA Title II-A (professional development), Title III (English Language Acquisition), and HEA Title VI Fulbright Hays (language education and study abroad).

Today, after weeks of pressure from educators, including much advocacy work from JNCL-NCLIS advocates alongside educational partners, Democratic and Republican members of Congress, state Governors and Attorney Generals, the Trump Administration announced that it would release $5.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2025 K-12 and adult education funding that it had withheld from allocating to states for more than three weeks.

Major detriment to education nationwide. The day before states were supposed to receive the first tranche of their FY25 K-12 education...