Longtime Republican voter and pediatric emergency room nurse Renay McKennon Pugh, in a Facebook post, revealed that she was shocked to discover that President Trump, whom she voted for in both 2020 and 2024, doesn't consider her four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree or her daily work saving children's lives to be a professional occupation.
Pugh, who has a master's degree in nursing, reportedly expressed dismay upon learning that the Department of Education officially excluded nursing from its recently revamped definition of professional degree programs under Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a change that will cap federal student loans for nursing graduate students at half the amount available to students pursuing degrees the administration deems truly professional, such as theology and veterinary medicine.
"We give our blood, sweat and tears to this profession," wrote Pugh in a Facebook post addressed to "Mr. President (Trump)," noting that she maintains her nursing license through continuing education and has worked in pediatric emergency care for years. The changes will cap non-professional programs at roughly $20,500 per year and $100,000 total, making it significantly harder to finance graduate nursing degrees such as nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist programs.
The Trump supporter, who clarified that her Democratic friends and family don't interfere with their relationships "because after all we are a free country to choose," appeared puzzled that the Republican president would implement a policy affecting an industry facing a historic shortage. The American Nurses Association noted that nurses make up the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and the backbone of the nation's health system, with the country facing a historic nurse shortage and rising demands.
