Is it true that Trump says nurses are not professional professionals
Executive summary
The available reporting shows the U.S. Department of Education, under President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” has changed which graduate programs it designates as “professional degrees,” and that nursing (including many advanced nursing degrees) was excluded from that list — a move that limits higher borrowing caps for nursing students [1] [2] [3]. Coverage shows widespread concern from nursing groups about the financial and workforce consequences, while the administration frames the move as part of broader loan-limit reforms [4] [3].
1. What exactly changed: a regulatory redefinition, not a personal insult
This is a rulemaking and policy change: the Department of Education revised which programs count as “professional degree” programs for the purposes of federal graduate loan limits tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; nursing (MSN, DNP and many post‑baccalaureate nursing programs) was placed outside that “professional” category, meaning different borrowing caps will apply to those students [2] [1] [3].
2. Why the distinction matters: loan caps and real dollars
Under the new framework tied to the law, students in programs labeled “professional” can access a higher annual and lifetime borrowing limit (examples reported: $50,000 per year and $200,000 lifetime for professional programs versus lower caps for other graduate students); removing nursing from that category could reduce how much graduate nursing students can borrow, changing financing options for advanced practice tracks [2] [3] [5].
3. How media and fact‑checkers framed the claim that “Trump says nurses are not professional professionals”
Headlines and social posts condensed the policy into blunt claims that nursing “is no longer considered a professional degree” under the Trump administration; news outlets from WPR to Newsweek and Reuters‑style coverage relayed the Department’s reclassification, and Snopes described the spread of a rumor about reclassification while summarizing the underlying policy action [1] [6] [2].
4. What nursing organizations and affected people say — alarm and appeals
National nursing groups and many nurses expressed alarm and urged reconsideration, warning the change could worsen shortages and make advanced nursing training harder and more expensive; professional associations publicly asked the Education Department to include nursing as a professional degree in its rulemaking [7] [1] [8].
5. The administration’s rationale and competing framing
Reporting indicates the administration and Education Department present the redefinition as part of a broader effort to cap graduate borrowing and reduce tuition pressures — the change is framed as a fiscal policy choice rather than a statement about the value or professionalism of nurses [4] [3]. Some outlets note the department’s contention that the list is a regulatory clarification of which degrees count as “professional” under the new law [2] [4].
6. What the coverage does not show or specify
Available sources do not quote President Trump personally saying a value judgment like “nurses are not professionals.” The reporting documents a regulatory classification and reactions to it, not an explicit presidential statement denigrating nurses [2] [4]. If you seek a direct quote from Trump saying nurses “are not professional professionals,” that wording is not found in the cited coverage [2].
7. Potential impacts and uncertainties to watch
Journalists and analysts warn the change could affect graduate nursing enrollment, workforce supply in rural and underserved areas, and students’ ability to finance clinical and leadership tracks — but the ultimate impact depends on final rule language, institutional tuition choices, and whether Congress or courts alter implementation [1] [3] [4]. Snopes and major outlets emphasize that the rule affects loan-eligibility mechanics, which may or may not translate into immediate large enrollment shifts [2] [4].
8. Bottom line for readers: policy, not provable insult, and follow‑ups to seek
The claim that the administration “says nurses are not professional professionals” conflates a policy reclassification with an insult; reporting shows the Dept. of Education excluded nursing from its list of “professional degree” programs for loan‑cap purposes, provoking pushback from nursing groups — but the sources do not document a direct presidential statement disparaging nurses’ professionalism [1] [2] [7]. Watch for final rule text, Education Department statements, and responses from nursing associations for how this will actually affect students and patient care [2] [3].