NLN Congratulates Nurses Elected to Congress in Historic 2026 Midterm Elections

NLN Congratulates Nurses Elected to Congress in Historic 2026 Midterm Elections

Nation’s First Nursing Association Urges Swift Action on Addressing the Nursing Shortage

Washington, DC — The National League for Nursing congratulates the nurses elected to Congress in this year’s historic midterm elections. By our count, 18 active or former nurses were on the ballot last Tuesday, of which four were elected to the House of Representatives. To date, no nurses have ever been elected to the Senate.

The bipartisan group of four nurses in the House reflect a mix of incumbents and newcomers, including:

• Mitchell Berman (D-WI), newcomer
• Sheri Biggs (R-SC), re-elected
• Kristina Knickerbocker (D-OH), newcomer
• Lauren Underwood (D-IL), re-elected
  

We especially congratulate Congresswoman Underwood, who received the National League for Nursing Award for Public Policy Advancement in 2021.

These elected officials will serve as an important voice for nursing in Congress. The National League for Nursing urges Congress to take swift action and pass legislation that addresses the nursing shortage. This includes three key bills:

• Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act, which would extend federal programs that provide most of the support for the recruitment, education, and retention of nurses and nurse faculty
• Nursing Is a Professional Degree Act, which explicitly includes post-baccalaureate nursing degrees – MSN, DNP, DNAP, and PhD – as professional degrees with the Department of Education to increase federal financial aid amounts for students
• Educating Future Nurses Act, which establishes a permanent National Graduate Nurse Education Program to provide clinical training to advanced practice registered nurses
  

The National League for Nursing will continue to work with members of Congress to support legislation that provides for the health and safety of all Americans. We again congratulate these members on their victories and look forward to working with them and their colleagues in the next Congress.