February 2026

Advocacy & Engagement

NCC Sends Letter Urging Congress to Pass the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025

On February 12, all sixty-five members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) signed onto a letter to the leadership of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, urging them to consider and pass the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S.1874/H.R.3593) this Congress.

NCC Statement on the FY 2026 Bipartisan Spending Bill

On February 6, the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) released a statement commending Congress for passing the bipartisan fiscal year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill, that restored funding to critical federal nursing programs. The NCC looks forward to working with Congress and the Administration as we continue to support our current and future nursing workforce.

NCC Webinar on Nursing as a Professional Degree
On February 5, the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) held a webinar titled, “Nursing is a Profession: Responding to the Department of Education’s Proposed Rule,” from 3:00-4:00 pm (ET). We were pleased to be joined by more than 1,000 attendees who were interested in learning the potential impacts of the ED’s proposed rule and how they can advocate for nursing as a professional degree.

Events & Meetings

The Nursing Community Coalition held a virtual monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.

 

Federal Funding Opportunities: Apply Today

NCC Connections

  • The International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN) is holding its annual conference from March 18-21, 2026, in Seattle, WA. For more information and to register, click here. 
  • The Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs (NOVA) is hosting a Legislative Roundtable on March 20, 2026. To register, click here.
  • The Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINR) is hosting its annual NightinGala on October 7, 2026. For more information and to register, click here.

In Case You Missed It…

  • On February 3, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R.7148). This bill provided full-year Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.  released their conferenced FY 2026 minibus package for FY 2026. This includes:
    • $305.472 million for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs (level funding to FY 2024), including: 
      • A $1 million increase to the Nurse Education, Practice, Quality, and Retention (NEPQR) Program 
      • A $1 million increase to the Nurse Practitioner Optional Fellowship Program 
      • A $2 million decrease to the Nursing Workforce Diversity Program 
    • $197.693 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) (level funding to FY 2024). 
  • One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3A) Implementation Updates
      • On February 4, the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing titled, “Runaway College Spending Meets the Working Family Tax Cuts.” This hearing examined how access to higher education could be impacted by proposed changes to federal student loan policy under OB3A. During the hearing, Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT-02) pointed to evidence showing that limiting federal loans can push students toward higher-cost, private lending or deter them from entering certain health professions. He also cited high loan repayment rates among nurses. House Nursing Caucus Co-Chair, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), also made emphasized how new OB3A loan limits will make affordable education particularly challenging for aspiring healthcare professionals, including nurses.
      • On February 5, House Nursing Caucus Vice Co-Chair and Nurse, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), issued a press release urging the public to participate in the Department of Education (ED)’s public comment period and supporting nursing as a professional degree. Additionally, Congresswoman underwood shared this opportunity on Instagram.
      • On February 20, Congresswoman and nurse Sheri Biggs (R-NC-03) issued a press release urging ED to reverse course on its proposed rule. Specifically, Congresswoman Biggs highlighted the impact that the rule would have on Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) programs.
      • On February 23, the Washington Post published an op-ed titled, “An arbitrary rule change isthreatening America’s healthcare system.”

Post of the Month

#ICYMI: Today from 2-4 pm (ET), HRSA is hosting a webinar and Q&A session on the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program. Applicants are encouraged to join this webinar at https://bit.ly/4bJFL5f

January 2026

Advocacy & Engagement

NCC Sends Letter to Congress Supporting Full-Year FY 2026 Appropriations for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

On January 22, sixty-four members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) signed onto a letter thanking the House and Senate Appropriations Committees for including nursing education, workforce, and research funding in the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026.” Specifically, the letter urges Members of Congress to vote to pass this bill, which includes $305.472 million for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and $197.693 million for National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), before the January 30th deadline.

NCC Thanks Senators Collins and Blumenthal for Introducing Legislation that Improves Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers

On January 23, fifty-two members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) signed onto a letter thanking Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) for introducing the Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act (S.3296), as well as urging its passage this Congress. This bipartisan legislation would update the federal workers’ compensation program and authorize NPs to certify and oversee treatment for injured or ill federal employees under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA).

Events & Meetings

The Nursing Community Coalition held a virtual monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

 

Federal Funding Opportunities: Apply Today

    • Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs:

Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program. This program pays up to 85% of unpaid nursing education debt for RNs, APRNs, and Nurse Faculty, in exchange for working for at least two years in either an eligible critical shortage facility or at an eligible nursing school as nurse faculty. Apply by March 12, 2026 at 7:30 PM (ET).
 

Nominate a Nurse

  • As we work to ensure nurses are at the federal policy table, we need your help! If you or someone you know has expertise, background, or experience related to any of the below opportunities, please CLICK HERE.

NCC Connections

  • On January 15, Senate Nursing Caucus Co-Chair, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), introduced S.Res.583 – A resolution recognizing 2026 as “The Year of The Power of Nurses” in Celebration of the 130th Anniversary of the American Nurses Association. On January 20, House Nursing Caucus Vice Co-Chair and Nurse, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) introduced the same resolution in the House (H.Res.1010).
  • On January 23, House Nursing Caucus member, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), as well as House Nursing Caucus Co-Chair, Congressman Dave Joyce (R-OH-14), introduced H.Res.67 – Recognizing the roles and the contributions of Americas Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and their critical role in providing quality health care for the public and the Nation’s Armed Forces for more than 150 years and through multiple public health emergencies and beyond.
  • The National Association of Hispanic Health (NAHN) Policy Summit will take place from February 10-11, 2026, in Washington, D.C. For more information and to register, click here.
  • The International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN) is holding its annual conference from March 18-21, 2026, in Seattle, WA. For more information and to register, click here. 

In Case You Missed It…

  • One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3A) Implementation Updates
    • On January 30, the Department of Education (ED) released the OB3A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). As we anticipated, unfortunately, this proposed rule does not include post-baccalaureate nursing in the definition of “professional degree” programs. The deadline to submit written comments on this NPRM is March 2. We are reviewing the proposed rule as we work to coordinate our unified response efforts. We will provide additional updates and next steps, including at next week’s NCC Monthly Meeting, so we can submit comments that reflect our shared commitment and collective voices to ensure Nursing is a Professional Degree.
  • On January 20, 2026, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees released their conferenced FY 2026 minibus package for FY 2026. Included in this package is the FY 2026 LHHS-ED spending bill. For more information about this bill, please see below:
  • Other OB3A Implementation Updates
    • On December 9, 2025, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein (D-NC) sent a letter to the Department of Education urging them to reconsider their proposed changes to the definition of “professional degree” programs, which would exclude post-baccalaureate nursing programs. To read the letter, click here.
    • On December 18, Congressman Josh Harder (D-CA-9) introduced H.R.6862, To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to delay, until July 1, 2030, the termination of authority to award certain Federal Direct PLUS loans and the implementation of limits on certain loans for graduate and professional students enrolled at institutions with certain public health designations, and for other purposes.
    • On December 25, 2025, Politico published an article titled, “What Republicans think Trump is getting wrong about nurses.” To read the article, click here.
    • On January 9, 2026, United Press International published an article on the work that nurses and nursing groups are doing to advocate for the inclusion of post-baccalaureate nursing in the Department of Education’s definition of “professional degree’ programs. To read the article, click here. 
  • On December 17, 2025, Becker’s published an article titled, “Nurse pay trends signal labor market stabilization: 3 notes.” To read the article, click here.

Post of the Month

#FundingOpportunity: HRSA has opened applications for the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program! Applications are due by March 12, 2026 at 7:30 PM (ET). To learn more and apply, please visit https://bit.ly/4q7oiHt!