AACN's Latest Advocacy, Coalition, and Policy Efforts
August 28: AACN signed onto a letter led by the American Council on Education (ACE) urging the Department of Education to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill "in a way that fully considers the impact on all stakeholders, including students, families, institutions of higher education, and current and future student loan borrowers." Among ACE's recommendations was the creation of a comprehensive list of "professional degree programs" that includes nursing among other programs.
August 25: AACN joined with a broad coalition of healthcare providers and programs in a letter encouraging the Department of Education to ensure that all graduate-level health professions programs required for licensure are included in the regulatory definition of “professional degree program.”
August 25: AACN submitted comments to the Department of Education urging the Department to modernize the existing definition of “professional degree” under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to explicitly include post-baccalaureate nursing degrees. AACN also signed onto Nursing Community Coalition comments to the Department making the same request.
August 19: AACN signed onto a healthcare community sign-on letter to the leadership of the House Energy and Commerce and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committees. The letter urged the Committees to consider and advance legislation reauthorizing the Title VII Health Professions and Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs before the end of fiscal year 2025 on September 30th, 2025.
August 19: AACN signed onto a Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) letter to all members of Congress urging them to take action on top legislative and appropriations priorities impacting our nursing schools, faculty, students, and researchers.
August 11: AACN signed onto a letter led by Families USA urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kennedy to preserve the structure and membership of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).