American Nurses Association Urges HHS to Rethink Eliminating National Institute of Nursing Research

The American Nurses Association has released a statement urging the HHS not to cut the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) as part of proposed budget reductions. Nursing World has the news.

The statement says that the institute “has funded groundbreaking research, including palliative and end-of-life care, elevating nursing science within the National Institutes of Health, training the next generation of nurse scientists, and championing person-centered care.” Recent reports have indicated that the HHS budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 eliminates the institute.

American Nurses Association president Jennifer Mensik-Kennedy wrote that they are “concerned about the ability of a restructured HHS, without the NINR, to pursue nurse-specific approaches that answer the challenges and demanding needs of our healthcare system and the patients we serve.”

The proposed budget framework also “directs elimination of several other health programs for savings, many of which are specific and vital to nurses. Specifically, the draft proposes to eliminate all Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs except for the Nurse Corps. In addition to nursing programs, the framework terminates maternal and child, substance use, mental health, and other key public health programs.” The ANA is urging the Trump administration to retool the budget to save some of these programs and funding.