November 2025

Advocacy & Engagement

NCC Reiterates FY 2026 Appropriations Requests to Congressional Leadership and Appropriators

On November 14, sixty-three members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) signed onto a letter to House and Senate leadership, along with the members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, outlining the NCC’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding requests and strong support for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). This includes a request of at least $303.472 million for Title VIII and $197.693 million for NINR, as outlined in the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee-passed FY 2026 Labor, Health and Humans Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

Events & Meetings

• The Nursing Community Coalition held a virtual monthly meeting on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

NCC Connections

The Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINR) published a blog post about Mayo Clinic’s latest nursing research. To read the post, click here. 

In Case You Missed It…

• On November 7, the Department of Education’s Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee unanimously adopted a proposed framework through its negotiated rulemaking process. This framework moved forward with a proposed definition of “professional” degree programs under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that does not include nursing. The NCC is monitoring the implementation of OBBBA and continues to advocate for the inclusion of nursing in the definition of “professional” degree programs under this law. 
• On November 10, the Senate passed H.R.5371, a bipartisan Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations deal to provide FY 2026 funding for Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs programs while funding all other programs at FY 2025 levels through January 31, 2026. On November 12, the House voted in favor of this deal and the President signed it into law the same day, ending the government shutdown. The NCC continues to monitor Congress’s efforts to finalize FY 2026 appropriations prior to the January 31 deadline.
• On November 21, House Nursing Caucus Vice Co-Chair and nurse, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) sent a letter to the Department of Education urging the Department to include post-baccalaureate nursing programs in the definition of “professional” degree programs. We have seen several examples of nurses highlighting this issue in major news publications, including Newsweek and USA Today.
• The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) is accepting applications for a new Director. To learn more and apply by December 1, 2025, click here.

Post of the Month

Sustaining pathways for post-baccalaureate nursing education is crucial to supporting the health of our nation. As such, we thank @RepJenKiggans for her letter urging the Department of Education to roll back proposed limits on student loans for nurses pursuing these programs.

HPASC Purpose and Objectives

To promote awareness within the DNA of issues and concerns in the area of Health Policy and Advocacy that assists DNA and it’s members to achieve their strategic goal of effectively advocating for members, patients, and the general public by:

1. Increasing membership involvement and understanding in health policy and advocacy efforts.
2. Acting as a resource for information on issues related to health policy and advocacy.
3. Working with members to investigate, consider, report, and act on advocacy issues commensurate with DNA’s Strategic plan.
4. Facilitating membership awareness, discussions, and activities.

HPASC Projects

• Support nursing within the Nursing Community
• Support cancer research, prevention, and education with One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC)
• Support State  Legislation to  prohibit tanning bed use by Children with The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network ACS CAN
• Support The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association SUNucate

Health Policy Advocacy Scanning Council

Elizabeth Jonas, LNP -Co-Chair
Karrie Fairbrother, BSN, CDE, DNC
Maura Flynn, MPP, RN, DNC
Krismarie Marrero, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Gayle Peterson, RN-BC

HPASC Official Advocacy Toolkit

Advocacy is hard to describe because it’s so very personal. That is because advocacy just means your voice. Whether a local school board or your states senator in D.C., you are the voice that can affect change but if you remain silent, your voice will not be counted for.

The DNA wanted to create a toolkit for all dermatology healthcare providers to be able to affect change where they see fit. We encourage you to look for small wins, these realistic achievements snowball into bigger wins through collaboration and visibility.

We encourage you to find a way to start down a path for change today. Learn about the political process, send an email to a representative, download a calendar of events, volunteer for a committee, join a patient advocacy group. Together, we will have our voices and our patient’s voices heard.

DCAN’s Advocacy Toolkit – DCAN is excited to release its new advocacy toolkit. It’s an extensive guide on how patients and clinicians can overcome payer resistance.