Senate Committee Advances Appropriations Bill Including Funding for Title VIII Nursing Programs, NINR, and Palliative Care Research

Before Congress adjourned for the August district work period last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed legislation to fund the Departments of Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. This bill still must be voted on by the full Senate and negotiated with the House Appropriations Committee, but it is a positive step forward for nursing education and research, in particular because it includes language preserving the National Institutes for Nursing Research (NINR) and Title VIII nursing education and workforce development programs, which were proposed to be eliminated in the President’s budget. Additionally, the bill provides continued funding for palliative care research through the National Institutes of Aging.

Specifically, the bill includes approximately $303 million for Title VIII programs, representing level funding for the program compared to the previous two fiscal years, with the exception of a $2 million decrease in funding for the Nursing Workforce Diversity Program. The bill also provides approximately $197 million for NINR, level funding compared to FY 2024 and FY 2025, and $12 million in continued support for a national Consortium for Palliative Care Research Across the Lifespan.

Additionally, the committee report for the legislation included language encouraging the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to expand opportunities to train and strengthen the palliative care nursing workforce.

With legislators back home in their states, August is the perfect time to continue advocating for funding for palliative care research, NINR, and Title VIII programs by attending a town hall, calling your lawmaker’s district office, or sending an e-mail through our action center. We also encourage you to take a few seconds to participate in our call to action on Title VIII reauthorization; securing additional cosponsors will help our efforts to ensure that these provisions in the Senate bill make it into a final appropriations bill.  If you have any questions, please e-mail our advocacy team at advocacy@hpna.org.