# 119-s-2954: Health Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2025 119-s-2954, Health Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-09). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2954 - As of: 2026-07-09 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-2954 - Congress: 119 - Title: Health Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2025 - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2025-09-30 - Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT) - Cosponsors: 1 - Policy area: Health - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-07-09 ## Summary **Expands the health workforce by funding medical, dental, and nursing education and by paying clinicians to relocate to rural areas.** It creates grant programs, enrollment incentives, and Medicare residency adjustments to grow and diversify providers. - Students and trainees: MED and DENTAL Grants pay tuition while enrolled, for up to 8 years, and require long-term service in primary care or rural dental practice. Failure to meet the service obligation converts the grant to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan with conversion caps up to $50,000. - Nursing students: NURSE Grants cover tuition and required fees while enrolled, for up to 8 years, with at least 85% of funds advanced to participating schools and direct student payments allowed if a school opts out. - Rural clinicians: Rural Relocation Grants give eligible physicians, nurses, and dentists up to $20,000 to move to a rural area for a minimum 3-year practice commitment; leaving early triggers a 50% repayment requirement and the program has $1.8 billion for 2026–2035. - Schools and workforce expansion: A 10-year Enrollment-Increase Grant program sets numeric enrollment targets and funds evidence-based expansion and faculty support. The program authorizes about $5.4 billion for medicine, nursing, and dentistry for 2026–2035 and requires annual reporting on enrollments and outcomes. - Medicare and residency slots: The bill adds residency positions and directs that additional positions be treated the same as other resident positions in the Medicare indirect teaching payment adjustment for discharges on or after July 1, 2027. *Authorizes roughly $7.2 billion in funding for 2026–2035 and requires ongoing MED/DENTAL/NURSE funding beginning July 1, 2026, increasing federal outlays over that period.* ## Cosponsors (1) - Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Relocation grants for rural clinicians: benefit, high. This bill would create a Rural Relocation Grant Program to pay eligible licensed doctors, nurses, and dentists up to $20,000 to move from non-rural to rural areas. You would need a permanent job and intend to practice at least three years. If you leave the required area before three years, you woul… - More residency funding and positions: benefit, high. This bill would increase payments and add new residency slots. Teaching health centers would get at least $170,000 per resident in FY2026, and that per-resident floor would rise by $10,000 each year after. The bill also would add up to 50,220 new residency positions from FY2027 through FY2036, with… - Grants to grow health school enrollment: benefit, medium. This bill would fund 10-year grants to help medical, nursing, and dental schools add seats and supports. Medical schools must plan to increase enrollment 50% by year 2 and another 50% by year 4. Nursing schools must plan to increase enrollment 30% by year 2 and another 30% by year 4. Dental schools… - Nursing tuition grants for students: benefit, medium. This bill would create NURSE Grants to pay tuition and required fees for eligible nursing students. You would need to complete a FAFSA and be Title IV eligible. Schools would receive at least 85% of funds before each payment period and grants could cover up to cost of attendance. You could get gran… - Dental school tuition with rural service: mixed, high. This bill would create DENTAL Grants to pay tuition and required fees for eligible dental students. You would need to complete a FAFSA and be Title IV eligible. Schools would receive at least 85% of funds before each payment period and grants could last up to 8 years. You would agree to practice ge… - Medical tuition grants with service: mixed, high. This bill would create MED Grants to pay tuition and required fees for eligible medical students. You would need to complete a FAFSA and be Title IV eligible. Schools would receive at least 85% of funds before each payment period and grants could last up to 8 years. You would agree to practice prim… ## Related bills - 119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act - 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026 - 119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act - 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act - 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act - 119-s-1507: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-s-2954 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2954) ## Related - [119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-891) - [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071) - [119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2838) - [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819) - [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283) - [119-s-1507: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1507) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2954 (as of 2026-07-09).