In the wake of the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (H.R.1), which cut funding for Medicaid, student loan programs, and other critical health and education initiatives, the reintroduction of two bipartisan, bicameral bills aimed at supporting the psychology workforce offers a timely and hopeful countermeasure. These bills, which APA Services strongly support and played a key role in reintroducing, represent a proactive effort by members of Congress to address the growing challenges facing graduate students and behavioral health professionals.
On June 4, the Protecting Our Students by Terminating Graduate Rates that Add to Debt (post grad) Actopens in new window (H.R.3711opens in new window/S.1948opens in new window) was reintroduced by Representative Judy Chu (D-California) and Senator Alex Padilla (D–California). This legislation, which was introduced in both the House and Senate for the first time, would restore eligibility for graduate students to receive Federal Direct Subsidized Loans—reversing a 2011 policy that eliminated this support.
Psychology doctoral students, who are required to complete a full-time internship year—often unpaid—are particularly impacted by graduate loan debt. By reinstating subsidized loan eligibility, the post grad Act would ease financial burdens and help ensure that students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds can pursue careers in psychology and other health professions.
APA Services also played a key role in the development and reintroduction of the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (star) Plus Scholarship Act (H.R.3655)opens in new window by Representative Andrea Salinas (D–Oregon), which would create a scholarship program for students pursuing graduate degrees in behavioral health fields.
The star Plus Scholarship Act would provide nontaxable scholarships to cover tuition and other educational expenses. In return, recipients would commit to working in mental health professional shortage areas or regions with high overdose rates. The bill prioritizes students from underrepresented communities and aims to diversify the behavioral health workforce to better meet the needs of underserved populations.
“This important legislation would help alleviate the cost of education, which often serves as a barrier to growing the behavioral health workforce, as more prospective psychologists are forced to rely on student loans,” said APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, in a press release from Representative Salinas’s office. “By creating a scholarship program for students pursuing a career as a mental health services or substance use disorder treatment provider, the star Plus Scholarship Act would ensure that more qualified professionals are trained to meet the needs of underserved communities without having to take on additional student debt.”
Additionally, the continued operation of the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program, underscores the importance of sustained federal investment in training the next generation of psychologists to serve in high-need communities. The Notice of Awards for the 2026 grantees of GPE Program were issued in early July, marking another year of federal investment in this critical program. GPE is the only federal program solely dedicated to the education and training of doctoral-level psychologists. It supports interdisciplinary training in integrated care settings, with a focus on trauma-informed care and substance use disorder prevention.
Together, these developments signal that as federal support for education and behavioral health services faces unprecedented constraints, lawmakers and advocates remain committed to investing in the future of behavioral health care and ensuring that the next generation of psychologists is equipped to meet the nation’s needs.
For more information, contact Raegina Likewise.