1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

I’m writing because I need you to take a clear, public stand on an issue that shouldn’t even be controversial: whether nurses, therapists, educators, social workers, architects, accountants, and other licensed, highly trained workers are considered professionals in the eyes of the federal government. Recent reporting from Newsweek, People, and Nurse.org shows that the U.S. Department of Education’s revised definition of “professional degree” — scheduled to take effect in 2026 — strips these careers out of that category. That means lower federal borrowing limits for students entering fields that require graduate education, supervised clinical hours, state licensing exams, and enormous responsibility. Meanwhile, theology programs remain fully classified as “professional.” This change isn’t harmless. It effectively tells millions of essential workers that their expertise, training, and service don’t count. It makes it harder for people to enter careers that communities desperately rely on. And it sends the message that some professions matter — and others can be quietly downgraded without a fight. I want to know where you stand. Do you believe nurses, therapists, teachers, social workers, architects, accountants, and audiologists are professionals? Yes or no. If the answer is yes, then I expect you to say so publicly and push the Department of Education to reverse this change. If the answer is no — or if you choose silence — then that tells me, and everyone else watching, exactly how much you value the people who keep our communities functioning. This is not a moment for polite ambiguity. It’s a moment for leadership. I urge your office to make a public statement immediately and to advocate for restoring these careers to the federal professional-degree classification. We cannot afford to make it harder to train the workers our health systems, schools, and public services depend on.