{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mcbride.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-mcbride-joins-bipartisan-effort-address-nursing-shortage-support-health", "Rep. McBride Joins Bipartisan Effort to Address Nursing Shortage, Support Health Care Workforce", "2025-07-15", "2025", "2025-07", "Democrat", "House", "DE", "Sarah McBride", "M001238", "mcbride.house.gov", "mcbride", "https://mcbride.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Representative Sarah McBride (D-DE) joined Reps. Young Kim (R-CA), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), and Don Bacon (R-NE) to introduce the National Nursing Workforce Center Act, a bipartisan and bicameral bill to address national nursing workforce shortages by supporting state nursing workforce centers across the country.\n\nThe legislation would create a two-year pilot program through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support the development of nursing workforce centers across the country\u2014critical hubs for planning, research, and programs that bolster the nursing pipeline. The bill also authorizes HRSA to establish a national center for nursing workforce research and policy coordination.\n\n\u201cNurses are the backbone of our health care system\u2014and they\u2019re burned out and stretched thin,\u201d said Rep. Sarah McBride. \u201cI\u2019ve heard directly from nurses in Delaware about the stress they\u2019re facing, the urgent need for mental health support, and the challenges of staffing shortages. This bipartisan bill is a commonsense step to strengthen nursing education, expand access to care, and ensure our health system can meet the needs of patients today and into the future. I\u2019m proud to work across the aisle to deliver these resources\u2014and I\u2019m grateful to Senator Blunt Rochester for leading this in the Senate.\u201d\n\nRep. McBride has made strengthening Delaware\u2019s health workforce a top priority, working closely with the Delaware Nurses Association to advance policies that empower providers and protect the programs that grow and sustain the nursing workforce.\n\nThe legislation comes amid nationwide reports of critical nursing shortages that threaten patient care and strain health systems. Nationally, the U.S. is expected to face a 10% shortage in registered nurses by 2027, with impacts already felt in emergency rooms, long-term care facilities, and primary care settings.\n\nThe introduction of this bill follows reports that the Trump administration\u2019s budget would eliminate federal funding for vital nursing programs, including the National Institute of Nursing Research and Title VIII programs \u2014 the primary funding sources for nursing education. These cuts would jeopardize communities\u2019 access to care and worsen provider burnout across the country.\n\nThe National Nursing Workforce Center Act would:\n\nEstablish a federal nursing-focused health workforce research and technical assistance center under HRSA;\n\nCreate a pilot program to support state-based nursing workforce centers, which often report underfunding and lack of technical capabilities; and\n\nDeliver reports assessing the impact of this partnership and if and how it should be expanded nationwide.\n\n\u201cThe Delaware Nurses Association strongly supports the National Nursing Workforce Center Act and thanks Congresswoman McBride for her leadership,\u201d said Delaware Nurses Association Executive Director, Chris Otto, in a statement. \u201cNurses in Delaware\u2014and across the country\u2014are experiencing unsustainable workloads, insufficient staffing, and mounting mental health strain. This legislation responds directly to what nurses have been telling us for years: we need coordinated, data-driven investments to strengthen the pipeline and retain the workforce we have. Delaware\u2019s nurses are proud to see our congressional delegation leading on this issue, and we are committed to working with our state and federal partners to ensure this bill becomes law. Our patients, providers, and public health depend on it.\"\n\nThe Senate companion legislation was introduced by U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), alongside Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND).\n\nRead the full bill here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T14:40:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mcbride.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-mcbride-joins-bipartisan-effort-address-nursing-shortage-support-health"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3804920017719269, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}