A federal budget proposal is alarming nursing leaders, who warn that deep cuts could disrupt education, workforce development, and research during a critical time for healthcare.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) warns that the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget requests reductions in programs vital to the nursing profession.
Major Cuts Proposed Across Health and Education Agencies
The Administration’s FY 2027 proposal includes a 12.5 percent reduction, or $15.8 billion, in funding for the Department of Health and Human Services.
Within that, nearly 70 percent of funding for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs would be eliminated, a decrease of $212.837 million. Only the Nurse Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program would remain.
These programs directly support the education and training of nursing students, help attract new entrants to the field, and are essential for preparing nurses to work effectively in diverse care settings. Losing most of this funding could lead to fewer new nurses entering the workforce and a decline in support for existing nurses.
The proposal also calls for a $5 billion reduction to the National Institutes of Health, including a 30 percent cut to the National Institute of Nursing Research, totaling $59.308 million.
While the plan maintains NINR’s independent status, AACN leaders say the funding decrease could slow progress in nursing science, undermine efforts to develop evidence-based improvements in patient care, and reduce opportunities to train future nurse scientists.
In addition, the budget proposes a 2.9 percent, or $2.3 billion, reduction in discretionary funding for the Department of Education.
Concerns for the Nursing Pipeline and Patient Care
AACN says the proposed cuts come at a time when nurse shortages, workforce strain, and the complexity of patient care are increasing, raising concern that reduced funding could worsen staff shortages and limit patient access to well-trained nurses.
“AACN remains committed to advancing sustained federal support for nursing education and research, which are critical to maintaining strong pathways into the profession and to ensuring that patients across the country can access high-quality healthcare,” said Deborah Trautman, President and Chief Executive Officer of AACN. “These investments are essential to strengthening the supply of highly educated nurses who are needed to meet increasingly complex healthcare demands.”
What Happens Next
The FY 2027 budget request marks the start of the federal appropriations process, with lawmakers now set to determine final funding levels.
AACN says it will continue working with Congress to advocate for stronger investment in nursing education, workforce development, and research, and plans to engage its members as the process moves forward.
For nurses and healthcare leaders, the final funding decisions could directly determine the size and preparedness of the nursing workforce, access to educational pathways for new nurses, and the ability of institutions to deliver high-quality patient care nationwide.
