♪ > > calling doctor Aging nurse practitioners a message from Washington, D.C., regarding those student loans.

> > for Connecticut Public on Frankie Graziano.

This is the wheelhouse.

The show that connects politics to the people.

We got your weekly dose of politics in Connecticut and beyond right here.

Last summer, President Donald Trump signed into law a massive federal taxes spending plan.

Starting in July.

According to that plan, the Trump administration will limit borrowing for students seeking professional degrees.

Those long caps will impact prospective donor doctors and nurses enrolling in post graduate studies.

It's our talking about loan caps for perspective.

Medical pros at a time when one federal lawmaker says can't afford to limit that borrowing.

Us senator from Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal is here to discuss that and developing news regarding now deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Senator Blumenthal, thank you so much for coming back on the show.

> > Wonderful to be with you.

Thanks for having me.

Good to see you.

Good to see that.

You're working down in Capitol Hill.

We appreciate that very much of folks want to ask the senator a question or you want to ask us anything regarding these professional degrees.

You want to share any thoughts that you have give us a call.

I do want to start out, obviously with some breaking news here or developing news rather, United States Senator Richard Blumenthal has attacked Venezuela, apprehended mother and the legal process is already underway with mother here in the United States.

It's not the first time Senator Blumenthal, a president has sort of circumvented Congress here and taken Villa military action.

But were your thoughts on the Trump administration's actions here in Venezuela?

> > I'm deeply disturbed and worried that we've embarked on a lawless, reckless invasion.

Without any clear plan.

> > What our goals are.

What > > 4. the exit strategy is.

And what happens in Venezuela and the region.

Now that we have destabilized it and the meticulous planning.

Underlie this brilliant operation.

Went for months without any consultation with Congress.

In fact, we were deliberately misled when we were told in briefings that the only goal was to intercept narcotics.

In fact, they were planning this military operation.

We can admire and praised the stunning brilliance and expertise demonstrated by Delta Force.

But the fact is now we have extricated the head the corrupt administration we've left in place.

Maduro's pension people.

Principally is vice-president.

Now interim President Rodriguez.

And the narcotics stealing the Iranian influence, all the malign factors that led to this invasion.

We're still there.

Plus, repression is continuing now.

Trump seems to be all about Europe.

He's talking about how it was going to do revenue for the United States, but the oil companies are very reluctant.

In fact, they sink below the prospect of going into.

Venezuela, investing billions of dollars when there are already owed billions of dollars of property taken from them.

And there are serious risks to their investments.

Their employees.

The oil that may be extracted.

So what happens now?

What is the plan?

And what is the exit strategy?

What are the goals and we have these distracting about possible invasion of Greenland action against Cuba, Colombia.

It is a world view that I think is deeply dangerous.

And remember that Colin Powell added, if you.

Break it, you own it.

And we are owning something that could lead to very serious consequences and costs.

Mother to faces 4 criminal charges, including narco terrorism, conspiracy.

> > Us Attorney General Pam Bondi says mother widow and his wife, Celia.

We'll soon, quote, face the full wrath American justice on American soil in American courts.

We've got a clip I want to play for you.

Senator Blumenthal, here's a local party leader responding to the situation chair of the Connecticut GOP been pro.

Here's what he had to say.

> > I don't think it was an attack on Venezuela.

I think it was a actually arrest a criminal winding down Trump in a great thing in bringing the door to trial.

I think it was a well executed.

Thank God for our military.

> > Would you unpack what you're hearing there?

Senator Blumenthal about the this not necessarily being an attack and action to arrest a criminal is what the local party chair seeing here in Connecticut.

> > with, in a former federal prosecutor.

That job for 4 and a half years as United States attorney on former Attorney general serving 20 years in that role.

Maduro's bad guy.

Heat terrible things.

He's cool.

The dictator who is repressed is people tortured and imprison them.

But it wasn't arrested.

Walking down the streets of New York.

He was extracted as a result of the military invasion of a sovereign country.

The way he was apprehended has grave implications for national security.

In fact, the question is, was the military properly used to pepper and this criminal.

the the facts in the legal.

Action here may not exonerate him.

In fact, he belongs behind bars.

Now we are involved in a much larger operation.

With consequences to the thousands of airmen, sailors.

And Marines and Army troops who are in that area.

We have about one 5th of our whole naval sprint in the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela right now.

That is a huge and costly commitment.

And my fear is and it seems to be proving true that we are involved in some and with us.

Operation here, Akin to what happened in Iraq where the best day of the United States.

Operation.

There was the day that Saddam Hussein was deposed.

And afterward there was chaos, conflict and confusion that was immensely costly in lives as well as taxpayer dollars.

We played for you a clip from a local Republican.

Here's some reaction from local Democrats as joint statement was texted to my colleague.

> > Connecticut Public Latino communities reporter Danny, that cell.

It comes from Puerto Rican leaders in the state legislature, state representatives Christopher Rose audio and had although today's junior as events continue to unfold, my foremost concern is in the well being of the men and women of our U.S.

armed forces who may be serving in harm's way.

I've keeping them and their families in my thoughts and prayers and of course, they're going to say and I join and hoping for their safety and their swift safe return home.

Also deeply concerned for the people of Puerto Rico and those affected by related travel disruptions, including Connecticut residents who are currently seeking to return home urge all relevant authorities to prioritize the safety of everyone on the island and work expeditiously to ensure the travelers are able to return home safely and be reunited with their families.

So I guess the natural question there is that payments that that statement came as the situation unfolded over the weekend.

Obviously, news has developed since then there were space restrictions in place in Caribbean spaces like Puerto Rico in Aruba.

Are you hearing from constituents who are worried about family in the area or being able to access that area of the > > I've heard from some of the Venezuelan community about their concern for rodeos who may be victims of continuing repression.

Arrests and confinement in Venezuela because this government seems to be much the same as it was before you had to say Narcoterrorists the same military, the same political authoritarian leadership there that Maduro cultivated an established.

hearing that those concerns, Amman, the Latino and Hispanic community in the United States.

And obviously concerns about travel and about implications for Puerto Rico.

Fellow Americans.

In the island.

But travel seems to be okay for now.

They rightly worried that instability and chaos in the region could imperil travel and economic dealings in the hemisphere because plunging Venezuela into chaos.

Not to mention Columbia, if they're refugees coming across the border or into Central America could be profoundly destabilizing for the entire region, indicate and impact the economic deal with there.

Really an incredible start to the new year.

Senator Blumenthal, a time when lawmakers were supposed to be focused on the next budget battle.

I'm sure that's something you're thinking about.

> > But funding for several U.S.

agencies runs out at the end of January.

Would you take us if you can, Senator Blumenthal into the room and help us understand if this situation in Venezuela has got in the way of any negotiations or maybe postpone any votes, just kind of help us understand how it's impacting things.

If at all.

> > We need to have a budget by the end of January and we're working at it.

I think it is doable.

We have what is called a minibus as opposed to it on the bus.

But you're right now which concerns a number of selected agencies like the Department Homeland Security.

Obviously it's involved in the but it's a win-win situation.

And in immigration and I am pressing, by the way, for increased funding for the nonprofit security Grant Program which protects our synagogues mosques.

Churches against Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, other kinds of heat violence.

I was the author of the No Hate Bill and I've been a strong supporter of this kind of funding, which is in that measure.

And I think the need for is increasing as a result of the actions that.

This government is taking a broad that Donald Trump has threatened there and in the United I'm hopeful that we will develop a budget and pass it by the end of the month.

So we don't have another government shutdown, which obviously.

Is to be avoided.

As my colleague, federal policy reporter Lisa Hagen reports.

> > Perspective shut down early.

26 would be smaller in scale than the one we saw.

25 the longest government shutdown in American history.

As you talked about, the bus vs minibus here, a big bone of contention for Democratic lawmakers during that budget battle was the expiration of health care subsidies emanating from the Affordable Care Act.

House Democrat from Connecticut Rosa DeLauro says a vote will happen in her chamber Thursday.

That would extend the subsidies and potentially support.

I think she said some 143,000 Connecticut residents experiencing this sort of benefits crisis here.

What are you hearing about the health care subsidies?

Senator, what's happening in your chamber?

It's a tragedy.

> > Health care subsidies have expired.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Connecticut face healthcare costs spiraling upward and insurance premiums.

Now unaffordable for many of them, thousands of them in Connecticut, millions around the country and the lack of health care insurance means.

For many people, lack of health care.

They can't afford health care insurance because the premiums have doubled in c****** without the health care tax credits that Republicans have law Republicans in effect, cause the government to shut down because they were unwilling to talk realistically about supporting and extension of those health care tax credit beyond December.

31.

So at midnight, the beginning of the New Year.

This craggy and travesty is unfolding.

4.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Connecticut who look at the open enrollment period and are saying can't afford it.

If I'm going to pay rent, groceries, utilities can't afford doubling and tripling premiums and literally increases of.

Thousands, perhaps 10's of thousands of dollars over the months and years.

So health care is so vital to Americans and we're going to keep fighting for and extension of these health care subsidies, including hopefully a vote in the Senate.

But I wouldn't anticipate that the government will shut down again.

> > A lot of costs here going up for people were talking about groceries.

We're talking about there.

You were talking about health care.

And of course we have rent and mortgage payments.

A lot of things for people to pay for urgency to increase or a place federal funding streams after cuts laid out in the federal Republican tax and spending plan signed into law last July.

One particular cut.

You're highlighting is caps placed on federal student aid for people seeking professional degrees.

You've characterized the move as stupid.

Why?

> > It's stupid and it's cruel.

Because what we are doing, for example, in nursing is to put a cap.

A very unrealistic one which defies reality on the amount of loans that nurses can take to do their job, which is so necessary in.

Here's a stunning fact about health care you, Connecticut and its crew of health care all around the country.

We have a shortage of nurses in Connecticut last year.

There were about 2900 openings.

Only 2600 enrollees.

And the reason is it's a tough job.

It is so demanding.

And for many burnout.

It leads to people wanting to see.

Other kinds of professional opportunities.

But then I'm America.

The health care needs, the nurses that are some that sir.

> > 4.

> > That care that doctors provide and other health care providers in tribute.

I think it is penny wise pound 4th, stupid.

And cool because it will cause needless suffering.

Or the nurses who remain and have to do these jobs when their overworked.

And the hospitals are understaffed.

It is also cool to patients who have to go without some of that key nursing skills that these health care providers.

Are engaged in provided.

And in terms of the provision of the skills to a lot of the concern is about teaching.

> > And having nurse pros to be able to teach the next generation here.

As we're talking about graduate studies, U.S.

Department of Education rejects that they're making sort any sort of value judgment here about the students looking for aid in these scenarios and devaluing the work, whatever they're saying, they're the federal government distributed a fact sheet, according to CTV reporter, Katie of Allah.

We're never on the show later.

That shows that many students.

It is what they're saying won't be impacted by the Caps.

What do you use a in turn to the Department of Education?

First of all, > > nurses to seek higher professional degrees are the role models and the teachers brought us and second, the caught will affect many other nurses and many.

These are several right to be outraged that the administration has concluded that nursing is not a professional degree.

That's the official line.

That they've concluded.

Nursing is a profession degrees.

Unearthing are professional degrees and demeaning the profession of nursing in this way discourages people from undertaking it when we need them more than ever.

And the job is more difficult than ever.

So I think it's highly irresponsible.

And it just shows the adversity of this administration to education as a whole, as you know, they are about that.

Unrealistically make demands on students who have taken loans from the government.

They're going to be denying opportunities to extend those lows to take public service.

Forgiveness of student loans and this kind of discouraging.

And the meaning of higher education is really profoundly damaging long-term to the country.

What can you offer next to these folks?

I understand that state government mace that may step up, at least there's some kind of effort there to try > > Keep some folks studying to.

here in Connecticut and there may be some money provided.

What are you telling nurses and doctors these prospective medical pros at this > > we're going to be fighting for any kind started bins.

Any interim grants or loan programs that may be with a bomb going to be fighting the cuts and caps that close by this administration and the ranking member on the Veterans Affairs Committee.

And we see particularly in that agency.

Cut of literally 30,000 positions.

30,000 positions, which are positions.

Nurses, schedulers.

Counselors, he health care providers and workforce that's necessary to do the compensation.

And benefits that veterans deserve and brightly and they've earned it.

We owe it to them.

And as the ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

I am going to be issuing a report in just a week or so.

Portraying in total.

What has been done integrating health care to our veterans.

Veterans also depend on Medicaid which has been caught.

Veterans depend on The health care tax credits and subsidies which expired on December.

31, we need a full court press to maintain and enhance health care in America.

We shouldn't be satisfied with what we had before it was written with problems and we recognize those probably ought to be kind to enhance not degrade our health care system, including health care insurance, which Americans need and deserve.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, I am so appreciative of you stopping by to Mark the new year here at the wheel.

Hassan Connecticut Public, thank you for coming by.

And we look forward to the work that you have ahead of you.

> > In 2026, thanks so much for having me.

Frankly.

Thank you, Senator.

Thank you.

Big year ahead.

As we mentioned, we got the midterms and more.

So a lot of work for Senator Richard Blumenthal to do as well after the break.

University president from Connecticut joins us to talk about the impact of federal cuts, local colleges and universities.

If you want to talk to us, you want to react to what you just heard from Senator Richard Blumenthal.

Give us a call.

8, 8, 7, to 0, 9, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 7, to 0, 9, 6, 7, 7, Stay tuned for Goodwin University President Mark Scheinberg more Wheelhouse next on Connecticut Public.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ This is the Wheelhouse from Connecticut Public Radio.

I'm Frankie Graziano.

We just had U.S.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, the show in the last segment he talked about the situation in Venezuela.

The federal funding fight on Capitol Hill and our topic do sure.

Well with the Montreal for New Year.

So I guess I speak French now we're talking about federal on caps for students seeking professional degrees.

Joining us now and administrator at a Connecticut Mark Scheinberg is the president of Goodwin University, nonprofit institution of higher education based in East Hartford.

Good morning.

President Scheinberg Frank, thank you so sure.

Happy and thank you for bringing up.

This is a topic.

I think it's such a critical thing that you're doing and I of.

> > A fan.

I listen to every morning.

So thank you.

> > Thank you for coming on the show.

We appreciate you have coming on.

John, thank you for wearing purple as well.

I think he gets the assignment as you see before we start our conversation with President invite any working student or anyone with questions about these long caps to give U.S.

call it a 7 to 0, 9, 6, 7, 7, If you want to get in the Wheelhouse today.

Leave a comment on our YouTube stream as well.

We just heard from Senator Richard Blumenthal.

Is there anything he or other federal lawmakers are saying to give you hope for the future of higher Ed in America?

I will tell you.

I've been around for a long time and I have I had no sense that this would be what I would be going into so many years ago.

This image of this, you know.

> > Ivy covered balls and you smoke pipe in front of fireplace summer.

No.

What's happened for education.

America's not only.

Swinging wildly, but it's happening so fast that it's impossible for us to make intelligent decisions at times we're having to move from market because it changes are happening so fast.

We can't adjust large organizations around which been 220 executive brought your orders since president has come in.

It's just too fast for us to to keep up with.

So how's that affecting us?

Will give you hope.

We'll give you hope.

There's a lot of people that really believe in this mission.

They're people that work in this field for a lot less money and they get the private sector because they believe in our students, they believe in education and believe education.

does for our future.

It is it.

It's a future of every individual we have in the country.

> > Senator Blumenthal is reasoning in calling the long caps stupid was that they are being implemented as a nursing shortage grips the country.

Our students at the university, the state of we're going to talk about the mechanism in a second.

There's some things that you want to talk about.

Are they gonna acutely feel the impact of the shortage of lease?

Because I want to bring up a good win university.

When I talk about educating nurses and doctors because this is something that you try to do, try to turn a professional.

He's going to acutely feel this impact that the senators talking about your house or incredibly in a number of different ways good university.

We've been told by our hospitals account for about 30% of the working nurses in our area and those hospitals as well as 30% of respiratory therapists, 30% of it of a number of different health professional dental hygienist.

They'll come out of this school.

And so it becomes critical.

And we know that we have many, many students are not going to be able to continue or not gonna be able to start school because of limits that have been put in in particular.

We do programs and a pair end.

Yes, it's a nurse.

But for all purposes, the pairings in our state have become the new primary care physician.

You go to a clinic, you go to your own doctor's office.

Chances are you're talking to a PA or an APR end, you're not talking to the doctor and that is by necessity because the shortage of primary care is so great.

There's between on the 1.5, 2 million visits to emergency care centers in Connecticut every year.

Those people mostly seeing a PR ins and pa's.

If you're runs in this law is not considered professionals.

And so they should not be supported.

And yet if they're not there, then there's nobody there.

This will affect not only.

Everybody in the state, but particularly people in poor communities or in rural communities because those communities are even less served by regular physicians and more served by a PR and pa's.

And so if they cannot be trained, that the impact will be very quick.

Just like a doctor.

These nurse practitioners can also prescribe medication of course, and they can see patients and since the pandemic was underway, there's been a move to allow nurse practitioners to also do telehealth to that has been a big boon.

> > In these communities and shout out to the work that they do, including my wife, counting Graziano MP, who is a fantastic nurse practitioner.

So thank you for shouting out the work that they do.

The federal government it in talking about these shortages.

What date are you worried about?

We were talking about July being where this starts.

What what are you looking at?

The biggest impact as it already arrived?

It has remember when you have a student apply to school, those you to have he's going to college.

You're getting your financial package.

February Ed, worst April, you're making plans for the fall.

We have students corners right now getting their packages for the fall, which, by the way, is after July 1st.

But they're not going to joy.

First to find out how it's going to shake out.

They want to know today and frankly, we don't know if you know him.

There has been very logical questions.

How much am I going to pay?

We're going to come from.

We have no idea.

So I think part of that that you may get money from the state hopefully or or something like that that you're looking for right leg.

Yesterday they had a press conference with senator slap and Representative Haddad chairing this conference where they are proposing putting some money into essentially a backstop or guarantee fund for Tesla so they can begin to give some funds to graduate students who will be affected by the federal bill so that there will be another way to get subsidized.

student loans for students.

So they're not put into the private loan market and so I'm hopeful that the legislature deals with this, but not at the end of the Legislature has to be passed and the very beginning of the legislative session.

Otherwise colleges won't have the guidance that they need in order to talk to students because they're applying now because they're applying it down and that that is a important a thing to bring up in.

> > And a very big a nuance factor in all this.

We love nuance on the wheel.

Cars the federal government, at least putting these caps through couple of things are same one that I want to get to here is that most students won't be borrowing enough to be impacted by the revised student loan caps.

There is a moving target, too, because they're changing the classification and things like that.

So what do you say to the Department of Education?

> > That's part of education.

First of all, is create a national law.

Whether we like it or not, it costs more to live in Connecticut and it might cost to to be in Oklahoma or Alabama and the cost the cost of colleges are a little bit higher here.

And so some arbitrary number that they say is the cap, isn't as fair in every part of the country.

Those sort of indexing ideas tend not to work.

Secondly, the Kevin Big Avis, Solo Woods, 20,500.

In graduate school.

Now no offense, but that's not a huge amount of money.

I'm not saying that people should be charging up sort of surge amount of tuition.

But $30,000 tuition would not be considered a high tuition.

Any wears you're already short.

So so the need for more money is Israel.

And the idea that cap is going to be enough, his story.

> > And that is what the federal government is saying to.

They're hoping that These institutes of higher learning are going to charge less money for schools, that something that you're having to kind of cope with at this time.

Is that an option?

Is that is that something that you can do at this point?

So keep in mind, you mentioned the whole industry and how we're looking at things.

> > The 2 things that come to mind when I hear that one is that the discount rate in this country is nearly 60% so that that's not even paying the sticker price to its ticket prices.

Your people paying less than half the sticker price and so, you know, so that part makes that makes that absolutely so.

But but more so than that.

The county schools are closing.

If this was such a fat industry that we're making all this kind of money, we wouldn't all be closing.

There are more schools that are the red zone.

They would call it for accreditation.

The never has happened in history, which means that they are all in the position of being very fragile.

And that's across the board.

No, we're not.

We're not going home with with house money.

The bank, there are exceptions.

And there were always call out those schools that have the billion Dollar endowment and and and, you know, they are they're towed it out every time they are the small minority.

It.

When you say fat cat, I'm thinking about fat cat from chippendale or something like that.

We see that often when we see protests of unions and things like that.

> > Certainly not seeing a fat cat in front of me here.

But he talked about that.

Those exceptions you talked about whether or not these these nurse pros and these medical pros are going to be feeling this acutely.

What other kind of concerns you have at this time.

What other things you need the legislature to address here in Connecticut.

> > So the big issue that they're dealing with, his graduate students, who are we need, you know, support for for graduate school.

But what wasn't as recognize because it's it's a smaller piece of the law, but really critical is that for undergraduate students attending school part time.

Your loan eligibility just got cut in half.

And that may not seem like anything but an arcane fact.

But what happens is that for student who's going back to school to become nurses?

Those students at this point have got their lone eligibility could have.

So if you are a working person, 85% of the students and Goodwin University are working adults.

And for those people, they can only really come to school part-time.

They can't quit their jobs.

And and, you know, they have families.

Two-thirds of single parents.

They need to go to school part-time.

That's the best they can do if the funds are cut in half, they can't afford to come to school.

And I don't know if they can make that more stark than I am.

But I'm telling you that the institution that provides 30% of your nurses, their students who are largely very highly diverse, who are many, many times multi-lingual.

They're not gonna be able to have the funds to go to se either quit their job and go full time and feds are good with that.

If they go to the private market to borrow money there.

And by the way, the students coming in.

I don't have any credit.

So the private market is really not looking for them either.

> > It sounds like there's a double whammy there.

So you have your graduate students that are impacted and you also have under graduate and just some this all up quick here.

There is a time crunch while the law does really impact people here in July.

Obviously you have people applying for school now.

So there is a lot there.

Can we try to find maybe some optimism here?

What what?

What gives you hope?

What can you do?

Hear what?

What's a way to look forward here?

Well, what gives you hope is?

First of all, we are finding solutions.

We are finding ways to save every dollar that is possible to keep.

> > Tuition low.

We are finding ways more deeply partner with with with industry so that so that there are less games to get people out of school and into jobs are doing more work at the high school level.

So people are coming in with credits and can do things more quickly.

We're turning every not that we have.

And so I'm, you know, higher education changes lives, one at a time.

But entire communities in aggregate.

When one quote that I what a PR in students.

When they found out about said, you know, 5 years ago, the nurses were heroes.

They they're big deal was made about how they they braved COVID and went into work and everything.

And where are we now?

Michael Ware, where is all that love about?

And where's that appreciation that we're just trying to do our job?

And and, you know, for all that work, we should be supporting them as as much as they would have supported us.

> > Where is the love?

Where's the beef in terms of the finances in order to support these institutions?

What a fantastic conversation we had.

I know we we wanted to make sure we catch up and we are diving into that nuance.

We have on the Wheelhouse here and can talk about the fact that there's a cute impacts.

It could be felt in the summer and obviously here in the middle of the winter and in spring.

So.

> > A lot of work for you all to do at this point.

We appreciate being having a Wheelhouse because most of these things can be entered in a slogan or a bumper sticker and it's only here that that you get 2 or 3 levels, the person understand what's really happening.

So thank you for being here.

I appreciated happy 2026.

To you and your institution.

We hope for good things for all the students here.

> > At Goodwin, University Marks Scheinberg the president of Goodwin University.

Thanks for coming into the studio to appear on our show.

So glad to be here.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

After the break, hear from a reporter following next steps for students impacted by the Caps.

> > 4 Wheelhouse next.

I Connecticut Public.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ This is the Wheelhouse from Connecticut Frankie Graziano.

Today, we're talking about working students and new federal caps.

Those kickoff in July as part of the Trump administration's big spending in tax package.

We've heard from U.S.

Senator Richard Blumenthal and Goodwin University President Mark Steinberg.

Now we're going to go to reporter Katie, go follow to break down what we've heard today and the actual outline of the federal government's adjustments.

2 professional degree loans.

Katie's a health reporter with Connecticut Mayor, thank you so much for coming on the show.

Katie, thanks for having me.

Thank Happy New Year to you as well.

We got a lot to dive into folks.

If your student reliant on federal loans for your education, what do these upcoming changes mean?

Do you give us a call?

8, 8, 8, 7 to 0, 9, 6, 7, 7, Alright, also, we've mentioned that perspective, nurses and doctors are impacted by long caps.

There are levels of this 11 programs qualify for professional degree status as outlined by the United States Department of Education.

Students.

And that here are subject to caps.

And then there's degree fields that are classified as professional.

They faced caps as well.

Can you explain who's in who's out?

Who gets capped?

Who gets capped ardor?

Yes.

So previously the federal government had a program called Grad plus and that lent money basically lend all the money needed for your degrees.

So it was essentially.

> > Unlimited up to the cost what you need it to get that degree.

So that program is going away and now they're saying we're instituting caps.

A new report saying you pointed out their their claim is that these these these unlimited loans really led to the ballooning cost of education that they're hoping to control that.

So now there are 2 tiers.

They're going to be caps and their 2 tiers of caps in the first is.

What they're calling professional degrees and those include doctors that include pharmacists.

Those include dentists I think there's a list.

It's it's about 11 degrees and they would qualify for $50,000 a year $200,000 over the course of lifetime.

And then you have a second tier.

These are graduate programs.

So they're not being defined as professional by the federal government.

These are these these caps are half off.

But what those professional degrees get $20,500 a year $100,000 of the course lifetime of the loan.

Now it is also worth saying that the Trump administration says look we do respect nurses, this term professional were using it as an internal definition for the sake of delineating the cops and that this does not have a reflection on on what we how we view their role.

Of course, you have nurses reacting pretty poorly to that as well as elected representative like Senate Senator Blumenthal.

Yeah, because there's a clear tear there.

As you see, there's the nurses and there's not even the nurses are not included in that.

> > Highest here.

But then also, if you're a doctor, you're facing a cap for the first year of his kneecap for the first time that that's the big complain that they have.

So that's kind of the higher level.

Look at it as outlined earlier in the show.

And you just got to this by saying that they're not trying to necessarily say that they're making a value judgment here.

They're sort of downplaying the issue saying a majority of students subject to the new caps don't borrow enough to be impacted.

He helped us understand this fact sheet that they released.

What did you find > > Yes, so that is that is out?

what they say that about 95% of the students who borrow borrow under the limit and also that.

You know, only around 17% of nurses nationally have these advanced degrees.

you know, as we heard Senator Blumenthal say, if you want to be, if you are a, you know, you've done your bedside, nursing and you're ready to be a leader, whether that be teaching, whether that be going into policy work, whether that be becoming a nurse practitioner, you need to go and get that advanced degrees.

So in a way, this is impacting the leaders of that nursing industry and so.

> > Many people saying where is the love at this point?

The yeah.

It was important to hear that from a from a doctor Scheinberg earlier as he was talking there but continue to finish years.

Yeah.

And seeing what's what's interesting, though, is that we went to a press conference.

I went to a press conference where they were probably like 12, 12 nurses standing in the background.

And, you know, you've probably been to a million that is they're kind of boring.

But fellows going to be a fellow reporter.

It but did an awesome thing.

He said, hey, can just show of hands > > would this cap of impact you, which I thought was such an interesting question.

That type of thing never happens at a press conference and everyone raised their hands.

So you know, I can say that I've done the reporting to verify that claim by the Trump administration.

The 95% of people wouldn't be impacted but at least in that room, it seemed like there would have been an impact to their education.

And these were professional nurses.

> > What you're going to hear from the nurses either way is that, as you mentioned earlier, we're going to be a lead nurse.

If you're going to advance the field are going to need this degree because somebody's going to teach these nurses.

Yeah.

So it is 17%.

This is the big figure, right?

This is the X factor.

17% of nurses seeking these advanced degrees.

But that's 17% teaches the next generation.

Yeah.

And so we'll see where that goes.

They're the professionals as well.

Anything Democratic lawmakers can do or is this the type of deal you need to change in federal leader ship to overturn these locales.

> > No.

as Mark mentioned, the Lamont Administration is looking to help support people who are impacted by these new caps.

They're putting together a state loan forgiveness fund.

It's going to be something around 10 million dollars.

you know, that's the amount of detail we have at this point.

we're excited and paying attention to learn more in the coming months.

Hopefully.

> > Not a lot of detail there and.

This is kind of where the rubber meets the road, at least in terms of the interview we just heard.

I know this is something that was rather intriguing to you to hear from Mark Steinberg.

We're not necessarily thinking about the undergraduate students impacted by this.

I was.

> > Talking in the green room.

I did not.

I didn't know that piece.

To be honest, I focus on health care.

Not an education czar really came at this from the.

From the Graduate nursing program Angle.

But that is a fascinating statistic.

And what it means in the interim here.

The upshot of that is it looks like there's going to be.

> > So many things that lawmakers have to do in Twenty-twenty 6 because of Medicare costs and cuts.

The federal government.

Yeah, they still haven't passed laws consistent with the recent voting referendum that we had.

They'll try to do that and now someone is going to come in here and they're talk about energy prices as well.

That's always the elephant in the room.

But now is somebody going to come in here and say, hey, we have to now we have kids applying for school.

We have these working parents applying for school and they don't know what they're going to need in terms of financial aid.

I don't envy their jobs.

you'll be there to follow.

We're not done yet.

The interview with Goodwin University March Scheinberg, president a news release.

We got an advance of that.

I think this came from the state lawmakers.

It said, quote, working students in the Connecticut State colleges and universities system borrow an estimated 17 million per year through affected programs.

And it's a to shun such as Goodwin University known for educating working nurses are expected to feel that impact acutely.

Are you seeing that?

Are you hearing something similar to the figures he's talking about where they're educating 30% of the nurses in the field at hospitals.

Yeah.

I mean, > > we've been hearing a kewley about the nursing nursing shortage going back to COVID and people referencing that even before COVID.

This was a problem.

So I think that the state needs this was or report from 2020.

But at that point, the state needed.

3,000 new nurses every year just to make up for the number of nurses that were times isn't even account for nurses leaving the profession because of burnout or anything like that.

And at that time, I think we were we're getting 1900 nurses a year.

So we are we are we're not replacing nurses at the rate.

We need to be.

> > 7 to 0, 9, 6, 7, 7, The number to call.

If you want to join us and talk to us on the Wheelhouse, we have a statement from Cat Middletown wants to address this cap.

Cat and the federal government says they're not putting any value judgments by making these classifications.

What do you say?

> > I think certainly are in there.

It's just a continued attack on women because they are cutting teaching and nursing professions that are traditionally female dominated.

I think that's what we get for electing a pedophile and it also comes back to the obscene files.

This is a man who does not respect women.

> > And thank you so much.

And that's something that we're we're hearing a lot of a lot of frustration with what's happening in Venezuela out of a lot of these kind of disruptions and distractions that Senator Blumenthal was talking about earlier.

A lot of folks want to make sure that they're keeping on the prize here and focusing on the issue at hand of the foot.

One we're focusing on today is here.

What's happening with these loans classifications can Middletown U.S.

certainly thinking that this is misogynistic.

They're saying they're not making any sort of value judgments.

You did mention that you covered the news conference yesterday.

You did mention that there is some work being done at the state level.

Let's talk about health care subsidies.

Know this is something going to be watching.

We only have a couple minutes left in the show.

You heard me talk to Richard Blumenthal about health care subsidies.

According to U.S.

rep Rosa DeLauro votes coming in the House where lawmakers stand on extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies honestly, not extremely hopeful of that is going to happen.

> > And it sounds like a Senator Blumenthal said that the it's not really happening in the Senate at this point.

> > Yeah, I think the idea is that it may pass the House, but it will not > > So that shows you in the in the coming days, the that's something that lawmakers are going to focus on, but not might not necessarily be something that gets and I know you're paying attention subsidies.

Our colleague Lisa Hagen is as well.

It's hard to ask with all the developing news out of Venezuela.

But any potential government shutdown would hinge on the extension of these subsidies.

> > I don't know.

You know, I guess they had the longest become million dollar question.

They're the longest government shutdown in history hindering on those subsidies.

I can't imagine it would have the same momentum going But, you know, we should we should also mention that this is another area where Connecticut is responding.

So the governor has pledged around 115 million dollars to go towards helping some of the most.

Financially vulnerable people who are going to lose access to these subsidies.

So they're going to keep premiums free and low for those people who were getting that assistance from the federal government.

> > Senator Richard Blumenthal saying earlier the tragedy, what's happening with health care subsidies.

If you want to follow along in this reporting, I know we're going to be asking this question, Katie and I and Lisa Hagen, we're going to be texting and how the health care subsidies come up in these conversations.

Will there be another government shutdown?

It may not be as big and scale.

It may not happen at all.

Senator Richard Blumenthal says he doesn't expect it.

These are the things that we're going to be talking about on our private text chains here.

Just to give you a little bit what's happening.

You've been listening to Katie, Go Valo, follow her reporting.

Keating was reporting at the CT Mirror Dot Org.

Thank you for coming on the show.

Thanks so much, Frank.

> > Today show was produced by Tolley Ricketts and welcome to the team.

Tal a it was edited by Patrick Scale.

Our technical producer is Eugene Everett wrote a special thanks to Rob enjoying a King Isaac Moss, Meagan Fitzgerald, Connecticut Public, visuals team and our operations team download the Wheelhouse anytime on your favorite podcast app.

I'm Frankie Graziano.

This is the Wheelhouse.

Thank you for listening.

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