(Portland, Ore.) — The Trump administration's reckless decision to slash the U.S. Department of Education's workforce by nearly 50% is a direct attack on Oregon's healthcare system and workforce. These drastic cuts will undermine education and training for nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, and a wide range of other healthcare professionals, saddle future health workers with crushing debt, and block efforts to build a stronger, more diverse healthcare workforce in Oregon. This is not just an attack on education—it is an attack on the health and well-being of every Oregonian.

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) calls on the Trump administration to immediately reverse these irresponsible and dangerous cuts. Congress and the public must oppose these cuts and protect programs that support healthcare education and student aid. We cannot afford to let Oregon's healthcare system be collateral damage in Trump’s reckless political agenda. Investing in healthcare education is investing in every Oregonians' health and safety.

Oregon’s healthcare education programs are already stretched beyond capacity. Nursing programs, for example, are only able to accept 1 in 4 qualified applicants and need a 70% increase in enrollment, about 1,000 additional graduates per year, to meet the state’s needs, according to the Oregon Employment Department (2024). Federal cuts will choke off critical support for all healthcare education programs, stalling efforts to expand capacity and worsening Oregon’s dangerous healthcare workforce shortage. 

The Department of Education plays a vital role in overseeing and distributing federal funding to higher education institutions, including grants that support programs for nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, and other healthcare professionals. Cuts to staffing and threats to dismantle the department will delay processing of federal financial aid, including Pell Grants, subsidized loans, and support for low-income students pursuing nursing and medical degrees. This will block access to education and contribute to Oregon's growing shortage of healthcare professionals.

Additionally, federal programs supporting Graduate Medical Education (GME), though primarily funded through Medicare, rely on federal student loans to support medical residents and fellows. Disruptions to federal loan processing due to Education Department staffing cuts will make it harder for medical graduates to afford or complete residencies, particularly in rural Oregon where care access is already fragile.

According to a recent article in the Washington Post (2025), the administration’s proposal to eliminate Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) represents an attack on healthcare workers who dedicate their careers to public service. Oregon nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, and other health professionals who serve in nonprofits, public hospitals, and rural clinics rely on PSLF to make education affordable. Eliminating PSLF will leave thousands of Oregon healthcare workers drowning in debt, reducing incentives to work in public or rural sectors and worsening care shortages. The Department of Education oversees $1.6 trillion in federal student loan debt, according to the Education Data Initiative (2024). Gutting the workforce responsible for managing these loans will result in processing delays, errors, and confusion, adding stress and financial insecurity for Oregon’s future healthcare professionals.

Oregon hospitals and clinics are already facing a staffing disaster. A 2023 survey by ONA found that 99% of Oregon healthcare professionals report that their units are sometimes or never adequately staffed. The Department of Education cuts threaten to disrupt the pipeline of future healthcare workers by reducing funding and slowing down the processing of financial aid and education grants. This will make it harder for students to access education programs and complete their training, especially for nurse practitioners and physicians who face higher educational costs and longer timelines to certification. This will, in turn, leave Oregon's healthcare facilities struggling to fill vacancies. Fewer new health professionals entering the workforce means existing staff will continue to shoulder unsustainable workloads, increasing burnout and turnover. 

This is not just a policy choice; it’s a choice to risk patient lives. When healthcare units are short-staffed, patients suffer. The same survey found that 78% of respondents reported delayed response times to patient calls, 76% reported medication delays, and 71% reported delays in pain management. Trump's education cuts will only make these delays worse, putting Oregon patients' health and safety at even greater risk.

This is a direct assault on Oregon’s healthcare system and on every healthcare worker striving to protect our communities. Slashing the Department of Education isn't cutting red tape—it's cutting the lifeline for Oregon's patients and healthcare workforce. Oregon health professionals are standing up and saying: enough is enough. 

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March 12, 2025