AAMC Offers Continued Support for Reauthorization of Title VII and VIII Programs

AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, and AAMC Chief Public Policy Officer Danielle Turnipseed, JD, MHSA, MPP, issued a Sept. 9 statement affirming the AAMC's strong support for reauthorization (PDF) of the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Title VII health professions and Title VIII nursing workforce development programs. The statement also highlighted an AAMC-led Aug. 19 community sign-on letter (PDF) sent to House Energy and Commerce and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee leadership highlighting the importance of reauthorizing the Title VII and VIII programs [refer to Washington Highlights, Sept. 5].

The statement was released ahead of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Health Subcommittee's Sept. 10 markup of public health reauthorizations. The markup included two bills that would reauthorize the Title VII and VIII programs for fiscal years 2026 through 2030: the Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act (H.R. 4262), which would reauthorize HRSA programs related to health professions education, and the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 3593/S. 1874), which would reauthorize the nursing workforce development programs. Both bills were advanced out of the subcommittee by voice vote.

During his opening statement, Health Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R- Va.) highlighted the importance of reauthorizing the Title VII and VIII programs, noting their role in bolstering the physician community and strengthening the nursing workforce. Similarly, Full Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) argued the need to reauthorize all of the Title VII and VIII programs in his opening statement, noting the impact that eliminating the programs would have on vulnerable communities. Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Reps. Raul Ruiz, MD, (D-Calif.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), and Troy Carter (D-La.) also echoed support for the Title VII programs during the markup.