What happened: On April 7, 2025, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled in favor of AHCA and the other plaintiffs to vacate the Biden Administration’s federal staffing mandate for nursing homes.

• Clif Porter, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL said in a statement, “The Court has confirmed that CMS does not have the authority to issue such staffing requirements—only Congress does. Therefore, we now call on Congress to act. In light of evolving care practices and our nation’s changing demographics, federal policymakers should not be dictating staffing hours but encouraging innovation and high-quality outcomes. The staffing mandate is a 20th Century solution that should be blocked by Congress once and for all.”

About the lawsuit: AHCA, joined by the Texas Health Care Association (THCA), LeadingAge, and several Texas long term care facilities filed a lawsuit in May of last year against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CMS for exceeding their statutory authority and arbitrarily and capriciously issuing the Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities final rule.

More from AHCA: The statement issued by AHCA following the ruling also said,

“As we have said from the beginning, nursing homes would love to hire more nurses and caregivers, and despite limited resources, we are doing everything within our power to grow our workforce. Even prior to the introduction of the staffing mandate, AHCA was offering federal policymakers a variety of workforce solutions that would help build a pipeline of new caregivers, attract them to long term care, and develop their skills and career.

“Our work is not yet done. Our nation’s aging population demands that we find a better way. We look forward to working with Congress and the Administration to pursue more common-sense workforce solutions.”

What’s next: The Trump Administration has 60 days from the ruling to decide whether to appeal the rule. It is possible that it would decline to appeal, and this court’s ruling will stand. Given the new administration, AHCA is hopeful that will be the case.

• In the meantime, AHCA will continue to advocate that Congress truly put this issue to rest. To be part of those conversations, consider attending Congressional Briefing 2025 on June 9-10 in Washington, DC.