Hello,

Educators and nurses are professionals. Their work is some of the most sacred work people can do, and their professional judgment should be respected. But this administration wants to undermine these workers’ stature in society to pay for the tax cuts the rich got this summer in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”—the same bill that cut healthcare and caused the skyrocketing Affordable Care Act premiums this December.

Here’s the deal: A proposal by Education Secretary Linda McMahon is now circulating that would eliminate the “professional” status for advanced degrees for nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, audiologists, architects, accountants, educators and social workers. This means the federal student loans available to these workers would be cut in half! If that happens, many students will have to turn to private banks, which have higher rates than federal loans.

This proposal would make college less affordable at a time when we should be investing in affordable and accessible education so everyone in America can have a pathway to success.

Contact your members of Congress to demand that they stop the the federal government from devaluing the professional expertise of these fields.

The student debt crisis will not be solved by making arbitrary judgements about which occupations “deserve” support. Lifetime and annual borrowing caps hit career-changers and graduate students hardest, especially as the cost of higher education continues to rise. We are sorely disappointed that this administration chooses to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy by devaluing those who teach and heal our students and our patients. We should be investing in teachers and nurses, not making their lives harder.

Think about it. For 23 years in a row, Gallup polling has found that nursing is the most trusted profession in the United States. Yet despite what the vast majority of the public thinks and what communities need, the McMahon-led Education Department is disrespecting professions like nursing and education that require years of study, training and advanced degrees.

Write to your members of Congress to say that our country works better when people can see, feel and afford a future in careers that help all of us thrive.

Education isn’t cheap, and by taking away the professional designation of these degrees, this administration is putting these careers further out of reach for the next generation. It’s also exacerbating national education and healthcare shortages in our communities, which are already facing massive shortages of healthcare workers, college and university faculty, and public employees.

At a time when families are struggling with the skyrocketing costs of necessities like housing, child care and groceries, the federal government should be delivering on its promises of a better life. It should be providing opportunity, not obstacles. It should be making higher education more affordable and accessible—not less—for talented individuals to pursue their dreams of serving their communities.

Write a letter here.

In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President

P.S. If you haven’t read our AFT task force reports on worker shortages, please take a look.

• To learn more about worker shortages in education, click here.
• To learn more about worker shortages in the healthcare field, click here.
• To learn more about worker shortages in public employment, click here.