Political anxiety is a real thing and if you don’t have it yet, just wait; from what I can see it’s contagious! According to the latest Stress in America™ poll, the top three reported stressors for adults were the future of our nation (77%), the economy (73%) and the 2024 U.S. presidential election (69%) (American Psychological Association, 2024). Most political moves at the federal level are out of our control and have unknown implications. This just feeds the anxiety monster lurking inside all of us. To manage my own political anxiety, I’ve cut back on how much news I watch and made a conscious effort to limit my social media time. Being in this position reminds me daily that we all have a team at ANA that focuses on federal policy each and every day. At the ANA Leadership Summit in December, Jeanine and I heard directly from ANA’s Policy & Government Affairs Team. They shared that they would be monitoring any proposals by the federal government as they unfolded and would update us frequently on what these proposals may mean for nursing. Several in attendance shared specific concerns and urged the team to be fluid in communication and asked that ANA as an organization remain transparent in their actions. I am happy to say that they have kept their word. Since January 20th, regular updates have come to my inbox from this group and I hope some of you have seen the emails from ANA’s Chief Executive Officer, Angela Beddoe. On January 23rd, just three days after President Trump’s inauguration, she shared:
“ANA has grave concerns about the impact of these EOs but is also assessing the most effective ways to express our concerns and challenge these executive actions” (Beddoe, 2025, para. 1) [and] “ANA will reach out to Congress, including members of the Nursing Caucus and career staff within federal agencies to express our concern and support for efforts to mitigate the impact of the orders immediately…” (Beddoe, 2025, para. 4).
This message was specifically focusing on the executive orders related to withdrawing from the World Health Organization and banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. My hope is that a strong partnership between ANA and the Congressional Nursing Caucus will help to communicate our concerns at the federal level clearly and frequently. The Congressional Nursing Caucus was relaunched in January and is made up of over 50 members of Congress from both political parties (Congressman Dave Joyce, 2025). I was happy to also see that Congresswomen Lauren Underwood and Jen Kiggans are serving as co-vice chairs since they are fellow Registered Nurses.
Many other organizations have put statements out and filed lawsuits regarding DEI data, which should now be restored on all government websites thanks to a quick initiative by Doctors for America. Several other lawsuits are in place as well. On February 11th, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2025) signed on as a plaintiff in support of a lawsuit challenging the new National Institute of Health (NIH) guidance regarding reimbursement. Their concern boils down to constraint of funds for nursing research and the potential of stunting the growth of future nurse researchers (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2025). While what is happening at the federal level is chaotic, our government was not designed to go fast. In fact, it was designed to go slow to allow for many elected officials to evaluate the implications of the change and for professional organizations to respond. Before a real change is made, several people will review it and several steps will have to be made before it takes effect. I have peace knowing that I am part of a professional organization who is monitoring it all and actively responding in a calculated, experienced way. The best thing each of us can do is to stay plugged into our organization, respond when prompted by them, and continue to advocate locally for what we are seeing in our practice. What has been keeping me up at night lately is workplace violence. In response, I took some of my students to our local Assemblyman to advocate. One student shared a personal story of workplace violence she experienced while working in an Emergency Room. He leaned in and truly listened. Workplace violence has to be stopped and not only can we share our stories with our local officials, we can also take comfort knowing that workplace health and safety are top priorities for ANA-NY and ANA. While I want you all to remain advocates in whatever capacity suits you, I also want you to share my comfort knowing that at the state and federal level, nursing’s voice is present.
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2025, February 11). AACN signs on to legal challenge to new NIH funding guidance. https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-data/all-news/aacn-signs-on-to-legal-challenge-to-new-nih-funding-guidance
American Psychological Association. (2024). Stress in American 2024: A nation in political turmoil. https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/stress-in-america/2024
Beddoe, A. (2025, January 23). Announcement by American Nurses Enterprise CEO, Angela Beddoe. https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2025/announcement-by-ane-ceo/
Congressman Dave Joyce. (2025, January 16). Joyce, Bonamici, Underwood, & Kiggans Relaunch Congressional Nursing Caucus. https://joyce.house.gov/posts/joyce-bonamici-underwood-kiggans-relaunch-congressional-nursing-caucus
