Davis, Gabbard Introduce Bill to Protect Nurses From Being Furloughed

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis (R-Ill) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) today introduced the Nurse Workforce Protection Act to prevent health care providers who receive COVID-19 relief from furloughing nurses. Davis and Gabbard are co-chairs of the House Nursing Caucus and May 6-12 is National Nurses Week.

$1 Wings, $3 Off Select Glasses, and $7 Off Select Bottles, Every Wednesday

Shop Local

The Clubhouse Sports Lounge & Kitchen

Get This Deal →

In April, 1.4 million health care workers, including many nurses, lost their jobs. Congress has appropriated $175 billion to help health care providers respond to COVID-19 and address lost revenue because of the virus. To be eligible for federal funding, the Nurse Workforce Protection Act requires a health care provider to retain at least 75% of its nurses and cannot reduce their pay or hours by more than 25%. Additionally, the bill prohibits providers from forcing nurses to take paid or unpaid leave.

"Nurses are the backbone of our health care delivery system and if a provider is receiving federal funding, they should not be furloughing nurses," Davis said. "Congress is providing $175 billion to our health care providers and they should be using this funding, in part, to maintain staff. This bill simply asks the same of health care providers as we have of the small businesses participating in the Paycheck Protection Program: if you're receiving taxpayer dollars that will not be paid back, you should be using it to keep people employed."

“Nurses are our frontline heroes, putting their lives on the line during this public health crisis every single day. They deserve the support they need to do their jobs. Budgets should not be balanced on the backs of these vital workers who are saving people’s lives. This is the very reason Congress created the Provider Relief Fund in the CARES Act,” said Gabbard. “So many of our nurses are working under extreme conditions, suffering through major shortages of personal protective equipment, being separated from their families, and working sustained emergency hours and conditions. They have our backs. We must have theirs.”

More like this:

Illinois lawmakers approve vision care transparency bill headed to Pritzker

Jun 14, 2026

Duckworth Accuses VA Secretary Collins of Pushing Privatization in Proposed Budget

May 23, 2026

Sen. Erica Harriss announces over $323,000 in fire equipment grants for 56th District departments

Jun 13, 2026

Senator Harriss Announces More Than $323,000 In State Fire Equipment Grants For Local Departments

Yesterday

Congress Approves $1.6 Billion for St. Louis VA Hospital Modernization, Bost Says

May 21, 2026