Whopper of the Week: RFK Jr. Is Silent as Trump Demotes Graduate Health Degrees

Whopper of the Week: 

RFK JR. IS SILENT AS TRUMP DEMOTES GRADUATE HEALTH DEGREES
 

INTRODUCTION

Today’s Whopper isn’t about something Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy said, but something he’s chosen not to say: his silence as the Trump administration dismantles the federal loan programs which, for decades, ensured Americans could pursue careers in health. Despite increasing health care worker shortages, Secretary Kennedy almost never talks about the health sector or its workforce. When he does, it is usually to claim it is a corrupt “medical cartel.”  Kennedy has effectively cleared the road for the Trump administration to radically cut the financing of our nation’s health care education.  

WHY IT’S A WHOPPER

In early 2026, the Trump Administration eliminated the Grad Plus loan program, restricted which graduate degrees are considered “professional” and capped graduate student loans at $20,500 per year and $100,000 total for normal degrees and $50,000 per year and $200,000 total for professional degrees. The new rules will significantly affect the ability of students in all health care disciplines to finance their education; but will particularly harm the demoted graduate degree programs, which include public health, nursing, physician assistant studies, physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology and speech-language pathology, among others.

Public health degrees teach students about improving the well-being of entire populations. George Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association, described public health expertise as spanning “emergency preparedness and response, disease prevention, health promotion, and the evaluation of population health systems.”  

Laura Magana, President of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions explained that, “Public health graduates are everywhere, working to keep us safe and healthy. They staff state and local health departments, hospitals, federal agencies, and community organizations.”

Health care sector jobs provide a critical public service, but the new federal loan rules make it harder for Americans to enter the field. A report from American University found that 70% of students in professional programs currently take out federal loans and concludes, “Based on recent borrowing patterns, about one-fourth of graduate borrowers… will no longer be able to get the access to credit they require to finance their education.” New graduate students, especially those in the non-professional degree programs, will be forced to borrow from the private sector, find cheaper programs, or give up on a health care career.

The U.S. already has shortages of many types of health care workers, especially in rural and underserved communities, and forecasts predict deepening labor shortages over the next decade. The American Nurses Association warned: “This rule will be felt in real communities, for example, in rural areas where nurse practitioners, midwives, and nurse anesthesiologists are often the only providers of core care services."  Restricting access to federal loans will undoubtedly reduce the number of future health care workers, drive up hiring costs, and reduce access to care.
 

WHY IT MATTERS

In May, Education Secretary Linda McMahon told Congress that the goal of the financial loan rule is “to bring down the costs of college and education.” The immediate effect, however, will be fewer students and lower revenues for many health care degree programs. Inequalities between rich and poor students may also widen. NY State Attorney General Letitia James observed that, “You should not have to be wealthy to serve your community as a nurse, physical therapist, or physician assistant.”

Many U.S. states fear that the federal government is offloading financial burden for health care education onto state governments. Because public universities will lose revenue, 25 states sued the federal government in May, claiming that the Trump administration unlawfully narrowed the definition of “professional degrees” and did not explain why programs were excluded. Two professional societies also filed a separate suit and are seeking an injunction to block the rule from taking effect in July.

Congress can also block this rule, and DPH has launched a campaign to pressure Congress to do just that. Please join the effort today!

If theTrump administration’s policies are not stopped, they will inflict enormous damage on the higher education and healthcare sectors. An effective Secretary of Health would have used his power, and the vast resources of the many agencies he oversees, to argue for the benefits of having an abundant and well-trained health care workforce. Secretary Kennedy was asleep on the job.
 

Contributions from: Benedicte Callan, Ph.D., Bruce Mirken