Impact of Public Policy on NLN Members

Although in past years attention to public policy may not have seemed significant, public policy has always been front and center to the NLN’s commitment to its members. The NLN’s public policy arena is focused on shaping and influencing policies that affect nursing workforce development. In fact, being closer to the hub of national policymaking was among the reasons the NLN moved its offices from New York City to Washington, DC, in 2013. Public policy at the national level has changed dramatically over the last year. There have been multiple executive orders and other administrative actions to reduce funding for nursing science, the nursing faculty workforce, graduate education, and health care for under/uninsured persons. To address the impact of these actions, the NLN surveyed members in May/June 2025, asking them to respond to the query: “Please tell us how the recent administrative actions and proposed changes to federal funding, including to the NINR [National Institute of Nursing Research], HRSA [Health Resources and Services Administration], and other agencies, may impact or are impacting your ability to be an effective nurse, nurse educator, and nurse scientist.” While some members reported negative impacts to their practice, other members indicated support for the executive/administrative actions. Member responses that reflected actual and/or potential negative impacts included the following examples. One member described an inability to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention treatment guidelines as an advanced practice nurse when those guidelines were removed from the Internet. Although guidelines were later reposted, trust with reposted information wavered. Another member communicated that funding cuts to support graduate students, including those in the nurse educator program, were making it harder for those nurses to finish their programs or become future faculty members. A third member reported the devastating impact to the foundation of nursing practice when funding to support nursing research is cut. Members in support of the executive/administrative actions noted that the changes would not take away services such as graduate education and Medicaid funding but would move financial responsibility to the states. Unfortunately, this type of response does not adequately consider the financial toll brought about by cuts to Medicaid and federal financial aid programs. With a reduction in Medicaid funding, community hospitals are likely to provide health care to greater numbers of patients without insurance, further stressing the financial outlook of health systems. This can lead to a downstream impact of higher patient-nurse ratios. Furthermore, with a reduction in federal financial aid, lower socioeconomic students who are likely to apply to community colleges close to where they live will not have the financial support to attend, thus reducing the overall number of students entering community-based nursing programs. NLN staff have met with members of Congress to share member concerns and propose legislative actions to support nursing programs and a healthy nation. To further facilitate legislative action, the NLN has actively supported passage of legislation including the “Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025” (H.R. 3593/S. 1874), the “PRECEPT Nurses Act” (H.R. 392/S. 131), and the “Nurse Corps Tax Parity Act of 2025” (H.R. 3145/S. 1548). The NLN also endorses approximately 15 to 20 letters or bills per month in collaboration with members of the Nursing Community Coalition. In addition, NLN staff have met with directors of federal agencies to discuss strategies to help member schools while recognizing the limitations of federal employees. Going forward, it is crucial that members engage in the public policy process by talking with and/or writing letters to their Congressional representatives. The more engaged you are in the process, the greater your personal impact can be to help ensure funding to support the nursing workforce and nursing programs. Earlier this year, the NLN Board of Governors approved the NLN’s Public Policy Agenda 2025-2026, and the NLN Public Policy Committee updated the NLN Public Policy Toolkit, available at https://www.nln.org/public-policy. This toolkit provides guidance on how to influence decision-making at the national level. Even when our viewpoints differ, it is important for nurses to be engaged in the public policy process and not to sit on the sidelines waiting for decisions to be made. The more active and engaged nurses are, the more that public policymaking will reflect the needs of the many.