After Massive Donations to MAGA Allies, Trump Administration Moves to Scrap Nursing Home Staffing Mandate

The Trump administration quietly revoked a rule that would have required more staff in nursing homes, a change that patient groups say will leave seniors at risk.

Last summer, nursing home executives gave nearly $4.8 million to MAGA Inc., the president’s super PAC, and several big donors met with Mr. Trump at his golf club to ask for a repeal.

Industry leaders argued the rule would have forced many facilities to cut beds or close, especially in rural areas with staff shortages. Bill Weisberg, a nursing home chief, wrote that “the Biden administration spent four years doing its best to attack us, vilify us and regulate us into nonexistence.”

Within weeks of the meeting, the administration moved away from defending the rule in court, and later the Department of Health and Human Services formally repealed key parts of the staffing mandate. The repeal was published in the Federal Register and took effect as an interim final rule in early December 2025.

“Residents are not getting the care they need,” said Lori Smetanka of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care. They point to reports of residents left in soiled beds and preventable infections tied to low staffing.

Researchers had estimated the rule might save roughly 13,000 resident lives a year if fully implemented, a number advocates used often in testimony and letters to push for stronger standards.

Families told painful stories. Tinamarie Scicchitano described her mother’s last days in an Arizona nursing home and said, “I’m deeply concerned that they will not staff these facilities appropriately because the patients are suffering, and my mom is living proof of what had happened.” Her family has sued, saying neglect and low staffing contributed to her death.

Some nursing home chains reported strong revenue even as critics warned care had slipped. The Ensign Group reported about $3 billion in revenue for 2022 and emerged as a vocal opponent of the rule. Critics said the industry’s complex corporate deals hide profits that could pay for more staff.

Trade groups said the rule set standards most homes could not meet and warned it could push facilities to close. The American Health Care Association and others lobbied lawmakers while industry donors sought private time with top officials.

The White House defended the repeal. A spokesman called the move a “common sense, anti red tape policy decision” and said it was about access and cost, not special interest influence. Critics noted the timing of donations and meetings and said that raised real questions.

Senators and consumer groups have called for oversight. They point to executive pay, dividend payouts, and business deals that critics say left little money for front line care. Senator Elizabeth Warren and other lawmakers have pressed companies and regulators for answers.

Barry Port, a group chief who fought the rule, said, “I personally met with leadership in both the House and the Senate.” Whether Congress or the courts will step in now is unclear, but families are already raising questions about care at their loved ones’ bedsides.

President Biden had framed the staffing push as part of a larger promise on nursing home quality. “That ends on my watch,” he said in his 2022 State of the Union address, adding that Medicare would set higher standards for nursing homes.

The repeal leaves a clash between industry fears about closures and advocates’ calls for stronger protections for seniors. Executive offices and industry board rooms may breathe easier, while families and advocates worry the most vulnerable will pay the price.

Featured image via X screengrab