Some Republicans are fighting to end Trump administration's decision to cap loans for nursing students

Source: The Independent

Thursday 25 December 2025 10:05 EST


A group of Republicans is fighting to end the Trump administration’s decision to cap loans for graduate nursing students, a move that sparked widespread anger across the profession. The provision was laid out in President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and set lifetime borrowing caps on student loans for graduate and professional degrees.

Nursing was left off the list of professional degrees deemed eligible to apply for the highest debt limits by the Department of Education, which was set at $200,000. Those pursuing graduate degrees in nursing are limited to borrowing a maximum of $100,000, which no longer covers the full cost of some advanced programs in the field.

The decision “threatened the very foundation of patient care” by limiting student nurses’ access to funding, nursing organizations warned.

GOP Rep. Mike Lawler of New York is supporting legislation with four other Republicans to add nursing to the Education Department’s list of “professional” degrees, along with occupational therapy, social work, audiology and physician assistant, which were also excluded, Politico reports.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-nursing-professional-degree-loans-b2890445.html