U.S. State Department Delays $25 Million Program for Tracking Ukrainian Children, Drawing Congressional Concern
The U.S. State Department has delayed the allocation of a $25 million program intended to track and facilitate the return of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred to Russia and Russian-occupied territories. Researchers at Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab, who have been instrumental in this effort, face potential elimination of their positions by December if new funding is not secured. The State Department announced the program in March but subsequently canceled the original grant competition (Notice of Funding Opportunity) on August 21, citing an intent to 'rescope the parameters of the award.' While the department states the funding remains in place and will be split into two distinct awards—approximately $15 million for locating and returning children and $10 million for rehabilitation and reintegration—the delay has prompted bipartisan concern from U.S. lawmakers, including Representatives Marcy Kaptur and Brian Fitzpatrick, and Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Blumenthal, who have urged th...
