A federal judge in Texas on Monday struck down a controversial Biden administration policy that would have imposed the first-ever federal staffing minimums for nursing homes.
The Trump administration is not expected to appeal the ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, handing a victory to nursing home operators who argued the requirements were unrealistic given the ongoing shortage of health care workers.
While acknowledging widespread issues in nursing home staffing, infection control, and oversight, Kacsmaryk’s decision vacating the rule stated that the proposed standards were not the solution, Axios reported.
Although the policy was “rooted in laudable goals,” it exceeds the authority of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, he wrote in his ruling.
The staffing mandate would have required nursing homes nationwide to maintain a registered nurse on-site 24/7 and ensure each patient received at least 33 minutes of care from an RN daily. The rules were set to begin rolling out in 2026, with rural facilities granted an additional year to comply.
Nursing homes filed a lawsuit last year to block the policy, arguing that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lacked the authority to impose such requirements and that the standards were “impossible” to meet given current workforce shortages, according to Axios.
The outlet said that labor unions and advocates for the elderly were in favor of the Biden-era rule changes. But nursing home operators cheered the ruling.
“This unrealistic staffing mandate threatened to close nursing homes and displace vulnerable seniors,” Clif Porter, CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, said in a statement, per Axios. “The court decision not only upholds the rule of law and balance of powers, but it protects access to care for our aging population.”
Also, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday granted President Donald Trump’s request to overturn a lower court ruling that had blocked the administration from using a 1798 wartime immigration law to immediately deport Venezuelan nationals—including suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang—from the United States.
The decision marks a major win for the administration as it pushes forward with key immigration priorities.
In a 5-4 ruling, the justices agreed to lift the stay, delivering a temporary victory for Trump and his allies.
At the center of the case was the Alien Enemies Act, an immigration law enacted in 1798 that allows for the swift removal of certain foreign nationals from U.S. soil during times of conflict. “Prior to Trump’s second White House term, it had been invoked just three times in U.S. history: During the War of 1812, during World War I, and most recently, World War II,” Fox News reported.
Lawyers for the administration argued before the higher court to vacate the lower court ruling, claiming the lower court orders “rebuffed” their immigration agenda, including their ability “to protect the Nation against foreign terrorist organizations and risk debilitating effects for delicate foreign negotiations.”
“Today’s a bad day to be a terrorist in the United States of America,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem noted in a video posted to the X platform. She added that the president “was correct in using his authority on using the Alien Enemies Act to deport terrorists out of this country.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi called the “landmark” decision a “victory for the rule of law,” adding that an “activist judge” in Washington, D.C., “does not have the jurisdiction to seize control of President Trump’s authority to conduct foreign policy and keep the American people safe.”
“The Department of Justice will continue fighting in court to make America safe again,” Bondi added in a statement released following the ruling.
