Changes in Federal Policy and Regulations

Feb 23, 2026

Added to Collection

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is monitoring changes in federal policy and regulations that may impact our community of acute, progressive and critical care nurses and the patients and families they care for.

We encourage our community members to seek reliable sources of information about policy and regulatory changes and to avoid amplifying misleading messages. AACN's values and the Code of Ethics for Nurses compel us to fully understand and anticipate the implications of policy on our practice, patients and work environments and to advocate accordingly.

Changes we are following include:

January 30, 2026

  • The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released1

January 22, 2026

  • United States completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO)2

January 15, 2026

  • The Great Healthcare Plan unveiled3

January 13, 2026

  • New members appointed to CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)4

January 5, 2026

  • Changes to US childhood vaccine schedule released5

December 5, 2025

  • Individual-based decision-making recommended for hepatitis B vaccination for infants born to women who test negative for the virus6

November 24, 2025

  • The RISE Committee initiated negotiated rulemaking related to the DOE  provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that sets loan limits for graduate education7 

November 21, 2025

  • American Academy of Pediatrics updated its AAP Immunization Schedule, which includes recommending the COVID-19 vaccine specifically for children under two and those who are high risk, as well as the hepatitis B vaccine for all infants8

October 6, 2025

  • CDC ends universal recommendation for COVID vaccine, making ACIP guidelines into federal policy9

September 30, 2025

  • Executive Order on using advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) for pediatric cancer10

September 22, 2025

  • Actions to  address autism announced11

September 18, 2025

  • America First Global Health Strategy released12

September 9, 2025

  • Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission unveils strategy to Make Our Children Healthy Again13

September 4, 2025

  • New members appointed to ACIP14

August 27, 2025

  • Dismissal of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez, who had been confirmed on July 29, 2025 and resignation of four top CDC officials15
  • COVID-19 vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with restrictions on who is eligible16

August 5, 2025

  • HHS Announcement of a coordinated “wind-down” of mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)17

August 1, 2025

  • Removal of the American Medical Association (AMA) and other medical associations from vaccine workgroups18

July 23, 2025

  • America’s AI Action Plan released, including creating AI Centers for Excellence nationwide and domain-specific efforts (healthcare is included as an example)19

July 4, 2025

  • One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law20

June 11, 2025

  • Removal of all 17 members from the ACIP; this included removing nursing representation through the American Nurses Association (ANA)21

April 1, 2025

  • Additional layoffs at Health and Human Services (HHS), including the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health22

March 28, 2025

  • Rescission of the final scientific integrity policy of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)23

March 27, 2025

  • Reorganization of HHS and consolidating functions into the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA)24

March 6, 2025

  • Removing public comment from rule making processes at HHS agencies25
  • Federal actions that may limit or discourage access to comprehensive health insurance plans, including Medicaid26

February 19, 2025

  • Layoffs across HHS agencies such as the CDC, NIH, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)27

February 15, 2025

  • Ending COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools28

February 5, 2025

  • Decisions to alter federal agency webpages in response to executive orders29

January 27, 2025

  • Regulatory changes that allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to medical facilities30
  • Executive orders to end federal resources and influence private sector programs that affect the availability of information regarding the care of some segments of the populations we serve31
  • Cancellation of meetings, delays and terminations of funding at the NIH32
  • The Executive Order to withdraw from the WHO33

Want to learn more about federal policy changes?

  • Consider this tool to help you evaluate news sources for their reliability. For a balanced approach, read, watch, or listen to a variety of channels, or select sources that are in the middle and near the top of the chart.
  • If you would like to reach out to Congressional representatives, you can find their contact information by entering your zip code at: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
  • You can also use the website RNAction to reach out to Congress. This site prepares messages to address nursing priorities, promoting a unified voice for the nursing profession. Learn more at: https://rnaction.org/pslc/

Please email us at advocacy@aacn.org with questions about AACN’s work.

References:

  1. Federal Register. Reimagining and Improving Student Education. Published January 30, 2026. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/30/2026-01912/reimagining-and-improving-student-education
  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. United States Completes WHO Withdrawal. Published January 22, 2026. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/united-states-completes-who-withdrawal.html
  3. The White House. The Great Healthcare Plan. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.whitehouse.gov/greathealthcare/
  4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Secretary Kennedy Appoints Two OB‑GYNs to CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/secretary-kennedy-appoints-two-ob-gyns-cdc-advisory-committee-immunization-practices.html
  5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CDC Acts on Presidential Memorandum to Update Childhood Immunization Schedule. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/cdc-acts-presidential-memorandum-update-childhood-immunization-schedule.html
  6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ACIP Recommends Individual‑Based Decision‑Making for Hepatitis B Vaccine Birth Dose for Infants Born to Women Who Test Negative for the Virus. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/acip-recommends-individual-based-decision-making-hepatitis-b-vaccine-birth-dose-infants-born-women-test-negative-virus.html
  7. RNAction. Policy and Legislative Center. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://rnaction.org/pslc/
  8. American Academy of Pediatrics. AAP Immunization Schedule. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://publications.aap.org/redbook/resources/15585/AAP-Immunization-Schedule
  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Immunization Schedule Adopts Individual‑Based Decision Approach. Published 2025. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2025/cdc-immunization-schedule-adopts-individual-based-decision.html
  10. The White House. Unlocking Cures for Pediatric Cancer With Artificial Intelligence. Published September 2025. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/unlocking-cures-for-pediatric-cancer-with-artificial-intelligence/
  11. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS Trump‑Kennedy Autism Initiatives: Leucovorin and Tylenol Research 2025. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-trump-kennedy-autism-initiatives-leucovorin-tylenol-research-2025.html
  12. U.S. Department of State. America First Global Health Strategy. Published September 2025. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/09/america-first-global-health-strategy/
  13. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. MAHA Commission Report: Childhood Disease Strategy. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/maha-commission-report-childhood-disease-strategy.html
  14. Reuters. Kennedy Picks Seven New Members for U.S. CDC Vaccine Panel, Document Shows. Published September 4, 2025. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/kennedy-picks-seven-new-members-us-cdc-vaccine-panel-document-shows-2025-09-04
  15. Stobbe, M, Seitz, A, & Megerian, C. CDC gets new acting director as leadership turmoil leaves agency reeling. The Associated Press. Published August 28, 2025. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/cdc-monarez-fired-trump-kennedy-vaccines-science-17fd8a19064e39906bc0125fd81e3525
  16. Perrone, M. FDA approves updated COVID-19 shots with limits for some kids and adults. The Associated Press. Published August 27, 2025. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/vaccines-covid-shots-fda-kennedy-pfizer-children-9ce19908ae7afb354732aa162fd28532
  17. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA. Published August 5, 2025. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-winds-down-mrna-development-under-barda.html
  18. Stobbe, M. AMA and other medical associations are kicked out of CDC vaccine workgroups. The Associated Press. Published August 4, 2025. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/vaccine-committee-cdc-cfbdcab84b2a919a6131d471959c3431
  19. WhiteHouse.gov. America’s AI Action Plan. Published July 2025. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Americas-AI-Action-Plan.pdf
  20. WhiteHouse.gov. President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Is Now the Law. Published July 4, 2025. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/07/president-trumps-one-big-beautiful-bill-is-now-the-law/
  21. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS Takes Bold Step to Restore Public Trust in Vaccines by Reconstituting ACIP. Published June 9, 2025. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-restore-public-trust-vaccines-acip.html
  22. Tin, A. RFK Jr.'s layoffs expected to gut worker safety agency NIOSH, officials say. CBS News. Published March 31, 2025. Accessed April 15, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-layoffs-hhs-niosh-worker-safety-agency/
  23. National Institutes of Health. Rescission of the Final Scientific Integrity Policy of the National Institutes of Health. Published March 28, 2025. Accessed April 15, 2025. https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-080.html
  24. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS Announces Transformation to Make America Healthy Again. Published March 27, 2025. Accessed April 15, 2025. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-restructuring-doge.html
  25. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Policy on Adhering to the Text of the Administrative Procedure Act. Published March 3, 2025. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/03/03/2025-03300/policy-on-adhering-to-the-text-of-the-administrative-procedure-act
  26. Rudowitz R, Burns A, Hinton, E, Tolbert, J. Medicaid: What to Watch in 2025. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). Published January 23, 2025. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-what-to-watch-in-2025/
  27. Advisory Board. Thousands laid off at HHS: What you need to know.  Updated February 18, 2025. Accessed February 19, 2025. https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2025/02/18/hhs-layoffs
  28. WhiteHouse.gov. Keeping Education Accessible and Ending Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates in Schools. Published February 15, 2025. Accessed April 15, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/keeping-education-accessible-and-ending-covid-19-vaccine-mandates-in-schools/
  29. Feldscher, K. As health data disappear from government websites, experts push back. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Published February 5, 2025. Accessed February 5, 2025. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/as-health-data-disappear-from-government-websites-experts-push-back/
  30. WhiteHouse.gov. Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Published January 20, 2025. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-american-people-against-invasion/
  31. WhiteHouse.gov. Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing. Published January 20, 2025. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/
  32.      Wadman M, Kaiser J. Trump hits NIH with "devastating' freezes on meetings, travel, communications, and hiring. Science. Published January 22, 2025. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-hits-nih-devastating-freezes-meetings-travel-communications-and-hiring
  33. WhiteHouse.gov. Withdrawing The United States from The World Health Organization. Published January 20, 2025. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/withdrawing-the-united-states-from-the-worldhealth-organization/