NursesOnTheHill

Federal Health Policy Signals to Watch in 2026 Oversight, workforce decisions, and unresolved questions shaping nursing and care delivery

New on Nurses on the Hill: the federal health-policy signals I’m watching as 2026 begins—oversight, workforce decisions, and the unresolved questions that matter for nursing and care delivery.
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Keeping up with the firehose of outrageous attacks on public health is a full-time job. I have been writing fast and furiously, trying to capture the steady stream of ridiculousness coming from this administration. "It's Go Time! Let's Be Sure Our Voices Are Heard." TY @andeebeeblue.bsky.social

Negotiations on Federal Degree Definitions Begin — With No Nursing Representation on the AHEAD Committee A first look at the AHEAD Committee roster — and a concerning pattern that mirrors the RISE negotiations.

Today’s Nurses on the Hill breaks down the AHEAD Committee roster ahead of Title IV negotiations — who’s participating, who’s missing, and eight members to watch. open.substack.com/pub/andreaba...

Have you already forgotten 911?Osama Bin Ladin started out as an afghan operative for the U.S. who came to despise America.

Department of Education (DOE) Confirms AHEAD Committee Dates Amid Ongoing Professional Degree Debate Key dates, registration links, and debrief sessions now confirmed.

The DOE has posted the full schedule for the AHEAD Committee’s Dec + Jan sessions — the ones tied to the debate over how healthcare-related graduate degrees are treated under Title IV.
update here:
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Federal Signals & The Future of Nursing Education: Understanding the DOE's Early Proposals From Title IV definition shifts to AHEAD Committee developments, organizational responses, and a new ANA-backed petition — a full breakdown of where things stand and what’s at stake.

If you missed it yesterday, nursing just got a major wake-up call from the Department of Education. Read the latest in Nurses On The Hill. And TGIF !!! open.substack.com/pub/andreaba...

a picture of a man in a suit and tie with the words cloudflare outage above him ALT: a picture of a man in a suit and tie with the words cloudflare outage above him

ChatGPT, substack and x are down. It’s not you. You didn’t get banned: CLOUDFARE, phone home.

Why Hospital Policies Matter in States That Ban Abortion Our first-of-its-kind data analysis found that a seismic split emerged in how medical institutions in Texas' two largest metro areas, Houston and Dallas, treated miscarrying patients — and in their ou...

The rate of sepsis in Houston surged 63% after Texas banned abortion.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where hospital leaders empowered doctors to intervene before patients’ conditions worsened, it rose 29%.

(Published May)

Dear MAGAs&Menshes, The country’s power brokers already met in the @whitehouse-47.bsky.social this week with plans to thwart @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social ‘s NYC agenda. “People vote at the city level, billionaires decide on the federal level and the governor exerts its veto power.” #EliseStefanik

The New Face of Nurse Leadership From Capitol Hill to state Capitols, a new generation of nurses is turning care into policy — and trust into power.

Nurses turning care into power. Nearly 300 readers opened this week’s Nurses on the Hill. Meet the nurse leaders shaping US Policy from Congress to community. #nurseleadership #nursesonthehill open.substack.com/pub/andreaba...

What a spectacle that will be. Do you think sign language experts might refuse to sign the bald faced lies Leavitt spews? I can dream, can’t I?

The New Face of Nurse Leadership From Capitol Hill to state Capitols, a new generation of nurses is turning care into policy — and trust into power.

From Congress to state houses, nurses are turning care into policy—& trust into power. Meet the nurse-legislators shaping today’s health reforms & the candidates preparing to join them. open.substack.com/pub/andreaba...
#NurseLeadership #NursesOnTheHill #HealthPolicy #NurseAdvocacy

DOJ Puts Prosecutors On Leave For Accurately Describing Jan. 6 Attack Read more here.

The Justice Department locked two federal prosecutors out of their devices and placed them on leave after they wrote in a court filing that on Jan. 6, 2021, “thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol.”
https://bit.ly/3X6Q6iU

Inside the Momentum: Nursing and Our Nation in Motion Takeaways from the National Academy of Medicine, FNINR, and the American Academy of Nursing policy gatherings—and the civic energy beyond them.

This issue of Nurses on the Hill looks at what happens when advocacy and science meet on the same streets — and how nurses keep both conversations alive. #NurseBluesky #NurseLeadership open.substack.com/pub/andreaba...

Andrea Barol (@andreabarol193702) Not my usual Nurses on the Hill fare — but sometimes a night of music says everything about what keeps us going. #ArtAndLife

Sometimes a night of music says everything about where we are going. substack.com/@andreabarol...

When the Air Falls Quiet: Nurses on the Frontlines of the Gaza–Israel Ceasefire As the guns fall silent, the sound of human hands at work returns — lifting the wounded, preparing IV lines, restocking bandages. For many medical workers, the ceasefire has brought hope and relief.

In the fragile pause of the Gaza–Israel ceasefire, nurses remain on the frontlines—tending wounds, comforting families, and holding hope when politics falters. open.substack.com/pub/andreaba...

Graphic design with bright letters “Jack Smith never had a chance.”

One of the biggest #bombshells this week: the @SenateGOP got ruffled over reports their records were subpoenaed. Could some or all of those senators be tied to the Trump cases running out of time the way they did? I would think 8 senators banding together to thwart a court case could get it done.

a man wearing glasses and headphones is sitting in a chair and says what goes around comes around . ALT: a man wearing glasses and headphones is sitting in a chair and says what goes around comes around .

When the Dems have a majority (and it will happen) I’m looking forward to the indictment of Mr. Melon and also Mr Harlan C.- Clarence Thomas’ greatest love of all. Both are major-major Repub & Project 2025 donors in the shadows. What goes around comes around.

Andrea Barol (@andreabarol193702) Just published: my latest Nurses on the Hill. NINR turns 40, and the celebration carried a powerful message about resolve in uncertain times. Quick highlights + photos inside.

Shutdowns come and go, but the discoveries and leadership NINR fosters endure. substack.com/@andreabarol...

Nurses on the Hill | Andrea Barol | Substack Nurses on the Hill explores where nursing, policy, and politics meet. I share clear insights on the debates shaping U.S. healthcare and highlight nurses driving change through research, advocacy, and ...

Big season for nursing voices-awards, Hill meetings, national spotlights. This week I’m highlighting an inspiring nurse leader. From her Baby Steps program (helping families home from the NICU) to policy talks in DC, she shows how nursing expertise changes lives. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Trump administration takes first steps to restore Harvard’s funding, but money isn’t flowing yet | CNN Harvard University says it has started receiving notices that many federal grants halted by the Trump administration will be reinstated after a federal judge ruled that the cuts were illegal.

Harvard University says it has started receiving notices that many federal grants halted by the Trump administration will be reinstated after a federal judge ruled that the cuts were illegal.

Wow! Rubio face has a newly deformed look about him.

Yes Congress went from being a pile of poopie ka ka to full out doo doo.

Melinda French Gates Backs $100 Million Bet On Women’s Health Breakthroughs Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures and Wellcome Leap commit $100M to accelerate women’s health research and close long-overlooked gaps worldwide.

Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures and Wellcome Leap commit $100M to accelerate women’s health research and close long-overlooked gaps worldwide.

Want to see how nurses are making their voices heard in government? Don’t miss this September 22nd webinar with nurse state legislators sharing their journey from practice to policy. Register here: columbiacuimc.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Trump administration agrees to restore health websites and data Federal officials have agreed to restore health- and science-related webpages and data following a lawsuit settlement with doctors' groups and other organizations.

Federal officials have agreed to restore health- and science-related webpages and data following a lawsuit settlement with doctors' groups and other organizations who sued.

“Miracles don’t come from dictators dreaming of immortality. They come from nurses turning science into survival.” 2/2. t.co/hd7JQCo6tO

#Xi & Putin were talking healthcare policy today-no surprise their plan is to live forever. Putin mused he’ll just keep getting transplants. It’s BenjButton meets Frankenstein. Meanwhile, transplants only work because skilled teams, w/nurses at the cater to monitor every beat.1/2

HHS employees demand RFK Jr. resign for ‘compromising the health of this nation’ | CNN More than 1,000 current and former employees of the US Department of Health and Human Services wrote a letter to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday, arguing that his leadership has “put the ...

More than 1,000 current and former employees of the US Department of Health and Human Services wrote a letter to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday, arguing that his leadership has “put the health of all Americans at risk” and demanding his resignation.

RFK Jr. will face ‘hard questions’ over CDC shakeup, Thune says The Senate majority leader expressed frustration over the firings of recently confirmed officials.

RFK Jr. will face "hard questions" over CDC shakeup, according to Thune.

The Senate majority leader expressed frustration over the firings of recently confirmed officials.