ANA Opposes President Trump's 2018 Budget

March 19, 2016

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is deeply concerned that President Trump’s FY 2018 budget plan, released today, will weaken the nation’s health care system and jeopardize the scientific research needed to keep America healthy. ANA staunchly opposes the President’s proposal which significantly reduces funding for health professions and nursing workforce programs by $403 million.  The budget slices $5.8 billion from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), resulting in a massive 22 percent cut to scientific research for medical cures.  Furthermore, this proposal suggests folding the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) into this significantly reduced NIH. AHRQ is the only federal agency with a mandate to conduct health services research. 

ANA urges Congress to reject this proposal. It drastically hampers efforts to address critical faculty shortages and recruit new nurses into the profession. The nursing workforce stands ready to provide high-quality, patient-centered care in a transforming health care environment; however these cuts will hamper recruiting new nurses into the profession, promoting career advancement within nursing and allocating nurses to critical shortage areas. Read more.