Elizabeth Chazottes, AIPT president and CEO and Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange board chair, submitted testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 in support of a budget increase for the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) for year 2009.

Cultural exchanges, including J-1 internship and training programs, are consistently seen as one of the most effective public diplomacy tools in the U.S. arsenal. Support of these programs is of growing national imperative. Chazottes submitted:

Poll after poll continues to indicate rising anti-Americanism, even in nations we count among our closest allies. We must work to build trust and understanding for our people and our policy goals not just in the Muslim world - an effort of critical importance - but around the globe. To defeat terrorism and address other priority global issues, we will need the help of our friends and allies in every region of the world.