Nurses for America (NFA) is a grassroots organization of nurses that educates nurses, healthcare professionals, and policymakers about issues affecting the health and well-being of patients, families, communities, and the public. Nurses for America engages nurses in helping to elect candidates who share nursing values, will refute disinformation, and will act to support public policy including:
We believe that nurses deserve an approach that honors their values and centers their voices. Advocacy must reflect the compassion, integrity, and courage that define our profession—not compromise them. Rather than being silent to appear neutral, we believe in boldly standing for what matters most to nurses: equitable access to care, safe workplaces, a healthy environment, and a commitment to justice. True advocacy doesn’t simply secure a seat at the table; it challenges the system to align with the principles of nursing—caring for all, especially the most vulnerable. By staying rooted in these values, we can lead meaningful change and build a future where nurses’ sacrifices are honored, their needs prioritized, and their voices lead the way.
A Violation of Nursing Ethics and Public Trust
A Statement from Nurses for America on the Passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) July 3, 2025
The professional Code of Ethics for Nurses (ANA, 2025) enshrines a duty to establish a trusting relationship and advocate for the rights, health, and safety of recipients(s) of nursing care, while advancing social justice and health equity. This moral imperative compels us to express our strong opposition to the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (HR 1)—which threatens to strip approximately 12 million people from Medicaid coverage and reduce SNAP benefits affecting millions, especially children and older adults.
Representative Lauren Underwood (D‑IL-14), a registered nurse, voted no on H.R. 1. As she has throughout her career, Underwood took a principled stand against dismantling the social safety net, recognizing that the proposed budget violates the essence of equitable care, health and human rights, safety and social justice. Underwood’s dissent underscores a critical truth: we must oppose policies that undermine health access for all Americans, even when politically inconvenient.
Two other registered nurse members of Congress—Representative Sheri Biggs (R‑SC-03) and Representative Jen Kiggans (R‑VA -2) ——chose party over patients with their yes vote for H.R. 1. Biggs, a nurse and officer in the Air National Guard, backed the legislation despite its clear implications for her constituents’ access to care. Kiggans, also a nurse and former Navy pilot, voted in favor of the bill, even though her district constituents rely heavily on Medicaid and SNAP.
Their votes effectively endorse reductions that would deprive thousands of vulnerable individuals of essential services. According to public records from Axios and the Guardian, Medicaid cuts threaten healthcare for up to 630,000 Virginians depending on work requirements, rollback of expansion, and funding triggers. The reduction in SNAP food assistance would impact up to 827,000 Virginians due to cost shifts and benefit cuts.
In Biggs’ home state of South Carolina an estimated 48,000 people will lose their health care coverage due to work requirements and funding cuts, policies that violate nursing’s commitment to protect the most vulnerable.
From a nursing perspective, rooted in our moral and ethical duty, support for H.R. 1 is a profound failure. It abandons our commitment to advocate for the rights, health, and safety of those in our care, while advancing social justice and health equity.
To our colleagues in Congress: if you hold the title “nurse,” you must advocate for the most vulnerable and underserved across the lifespan and not support policies that strip away their basic health and safety protections. Nursing demands more than a title; it requires living its highest ideals in public service.
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhumane.” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., March 25, 1966.
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Nurses for America acknowledges that voting is a social determinant of health and significantly contributes to patients access to healthcare,
NFA supports measures to facilitate safe and equitable access to voting including increased number of polling locations with disability access including low vision .
1. Submissions must be 200 words or less , docx format.
2. Internet links included in the word count.
3. Images, logos or photos in png format and no larger than 400 X 400 pixels.
4. Send to info@nursesforamerica.net
5. Deadline 12 noon ET on the 3rd Sunday of each month.
6.All decisions are made by editors of NFA.
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