Shortly after taking the oath of office, President Donald Trump began issuing a flood of executive orders shifting federal agency functions, overturning previous policies, and testing the limits of his constitutional authority. Three weeks into the new administration, Trump has issued more than 50 orders attempting to freeze funding for federal grant programs, halt agency communications and meetings, and scrub websites to remove department data resources. His orders also sought to end diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs and policies and terminate DEI program employees and to empower the “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, headed by entrepreneur Elon Musk, to comb federal programs to root out potential waste and fraud. Rumors persist that the White House is working on directives aimed at abolishing the Department of Education, although none have been issued yet. Federal courts have blocked several of the controversial orders, and the NLN and other organizations have raised concerns with members of Congress about the potential impact of some of the policy changes on academic nursing.
Meanwhile, the Senate has moved quickly to confirm President Trump’s nominees for Cabinet-level posts in his administration, with 13 of his 22 high-level appointments approved as of Feb. 7. Senators are expected to vote soon on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services after the Senate Finance Committee favorably reported his appointment on a 14 to 13 party-line vote. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee has scheduled a Feb. 13 hearing on the nomination of Linda McMahon to head the Department of Education.
Senate and House Republican leaders continue to wrestle with plans to advance President Trump’s tax, energy, and immigration agenda through a budget reconciliation process that prevents Democrats from blocking the legislation, which will target federal programs for billions in spending cuts. And leaders are facing a March 14 deadline to reach a final agreement on fiscal 2025 appropriations that will determine the funding levels for nursing education and research programs.
It's not too late to introduce yourself or get reacquainted with your members of Congress and offer your expertise on the issues affecting academic nursing. If you haven't done so, please take action now!