1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

As a Texas medical student and your constituent to urge you to oppose the higher education provisions in Chairman Jason Smith’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Reconciliation Proposal. This legislation will not only hurt students—it will hurt patients. By slashing access to affordable medical education, these proposals threaten the stability of our healthcare system and the well-being of communities across the country. The elimination of federal Grad PLUS loans, lifetime borrowing caps, and the end of loan forgiveness for medical residents would place unprecedented financial strain on future physicians. For many low-income and minority students, this would mean one thing: medical school becomes impossible. According to the AAMC, 23% of medical students graduate with over $300,000 in debt, a figure disproportionately borne by students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Meanwhile, 29% of students graduate debt-free, often from families who can afford medical education regardless of loan availability. This growing divide doesn't just impact who becomes a doctor—it affects where doctors choose to practice. Students from underserved backgrounds are more likely to return to and serve the very communities that lack adequate healthcare access. By cutting them out of the pipeline, this bill directly contributes to the worsening physician shortage—projected to exceed 187,000 by 2037, with devastating consequences for rural and low-income areas already struggling to recruit and retain healthcare providers. These changes don’t just increase the cost of education. They restrict who can become a doctor, widen disparities in healthcare access, and reduce the availability of essential services in the communities that need them most. At a time when public health needs are increasing, these provisions move us backward. If we want a strong, accessible, and equitable healthcare system, we must protect the ability of future physicians—especially those from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds—to afford their education and serve where they are most needed. Please stand up for patients, communities, and the future of American healthcare. I urge you to reject these harmful provisions and instead support policies that expand—not restrict—access to medical education.