AACN's Latest Advocacy, Coalition, and Policy Efforts
May 14: AACN signed onto a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS-ED) urging them to support at least $420.85 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s National Center for Environmental Health in the FY 2026 LHHS-ED Appropriations bill.
May 14: AACN joined with a broad coalition of higher education organizations in a statement calling upon the Trump Administration to protect and renew the longstanding partnership between the federal government and colleges and universities.
May 13: AACN signed onto a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS-ED) urging them to reject the elimination of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which was outlined in the Administration’s FY 2026 budget proposal.
May 6: AACN signed onto a Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) letter urging Congress to take action on top appropriations and legislative priorities that impact nursing education, workforce, and research.
April 29: AACN signed onto letters from American Indian/Alaska Native Health Partners to the House and Senate supporting funding for the Indian Health Professions Account and Indian Health Service.
April 28: AACN signed onto a Nursing Community Coalition letter thanking Reps. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) for introducing the bipartisan Ensuring Veterans Timely Access to Anesthesia Care Act (H.R.2234).
April 25: AACN signed on to a coalition letter urging Congress to reject the proposed budget cuts across HHS agencies and centers and instead work together to invest in our nation’s health by ensuring that the essential programs that protect and further American’s health remain adequately funded.
April 22: AACN signed onto an APRN Workgroup letter to President Donald Trump expressing interest in engaging with the Administration on policy to improve care provided by APRNs.
April 21: AACN signed onto a Friends of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) letter urging Congress to provide $220 million for NCHS in FY 2026, which will strengthen the Center’s ability to provide unbiased, timely health data to policymakers and reinforce its role as the world’s gold-standard producer of health statistics.
April 18: AACN signed onto a Friends of HRSA letter to the leadership of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies requesting at least $10.5 billion in discretionary funds for Health Resources and Services Administration programs in FY 2025.
April 17: AACN joins with other nursing associations in urging Congress to support Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs.
April 14: AACN signed onto a letter urging the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make clinically appropriate non-opioid therapies available to all Americans seeking care at a VA facility.
April 11: AACN signed onto an American Nurses Association letter to Congressional leadership urging them to protect the Medicaid program during the budget reconciliation process.
April 9: AACN submitted written testimony for the record to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS-ED) requesting at least $530 million for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and at least $210 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. AACN also signed onto Nursing Community Coalition written testimony for the record to the House LHHS-ED Subcommittee making the same request.
April 9: AACN signed onto a CDC Coalition letter requesting Congress to provide at least $11.581 billion for the CDC in any final FY 2026 appropriations bill.
April 8: AACN signed onto a letter to the leadership of the House Education and Workforce Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The letter urged the preservation of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and highlighted its success and importance.
April 7: AACN signed onto an Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research letter requesting Congress to provide at least $51.303 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), in any final FY 2026 appropriations bill.
March 27: AACN signed onto a Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies requesting at least $530 million for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and at least $210 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) in fiscal year (FY) 2026.
March 20: AACN signed onto a Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) letter thanking letter thanking Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH-14), along with other cosponsors, for introducing the Improving Care and Access to Nurses (I CAN) Act (S.575/H.R.1317).
March 19: AACN signed onto a letter urging Congress to protect and maintain funding for federal student aid programs in fiscal year 2026.
March 18: AACN signed onto a letter urging Congress to consider and pass the bipartisan Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act (H.R. 929/S. 266).
March 14: AACN signed on to a response to a Request for Information for the Trump Administration's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan relating to the use of AI across the higher education landscape.
March 7: AACN signed onto a letter to key committee leaders in the House and Senate expressing support for the Improving Care and Access to Nurses (ICAN) Act (H.R. 1317/S.575). This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would remove outdated and unnecessary federal barriers on services provided by advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) under the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
March 7: AACN signed onto Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions (FASHP) letters to the House and Senate urging Congress to ensure that any forthcoming budget reconciliation legislation does not negatively impact students and student loan borrowers, which would have substantial ramifications on access to higher education across the country.
March 3: AACN signed onto a Friends of AHRQ letter to Congress requesting that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality be fully funded at $500 million in fiscal year (FY) 2026.
February 28: AACN signed onto a Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) letter thanking Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) for introducing the bipartisan and bicameral Providing Real-World Education and Clinical Experience by Precepting Tomorrow’s (PRECEPT) Nurses Act (H.R.392/S.131).
February 25: AACN signed onto an American Council on Education letter responding to the Department of Education’s Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) and respectfully requesting the Department rescind the DCL and further engage with the higher education community to promulgate guidance that reflects existing law.
February 25: AACN signed onto a Research!America letter urging Congress to support robust funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Fiscal Year 2025 and preserve existing protections against cuts to reimbursement for NIH grantee Facilities and Administrative costs.
February 14: AACN signed onto a Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) letter requesting at least $310.472 million for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and at least $197.693 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) in fiscal year (FY) 2025, as outlined in the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee passed bill.
February 14: The Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions (FASHP) releases statement on NIH funding reductions.
February 11: AACN signed onto a Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS) letter to Congressional leadership expressing concerns regarding the removal of public data from federal websites. The letter called for Congress to work with the Administration to restore this data and to prevent future data removals.
February 3: AACN signed on to a letter led by the American Council on Education to Secretary of State Marco Rubio offering to work closely with the State Department on issues like visa processing for international students and national security.
February 3: AACN signed onto an Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research letter urging Congress to provide at least $48.9 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in FY 2025, as outlined in the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee-passed bill.
January 17: AACN signed onto a Nursing Community Coalition letter to the House and Senate welcoming Representatives and Senators to the 119th Congress, as well as outlining shared priorities including support for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR).
January 13: AACN sent letters to all members of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives welcoming them to the 119th Congress and outlining our shared academic nursing priorities.