Joe Biden spent four years telling nursing homes they needed more nurses while doing absolutely nothing to put nurses there.
Now Trump just announced $275 million to actually fix it – and every state in America is already on board.
And the way Donald Trump is paying for more nurses is something Democrats never thought of in four years of trying.
The Crisis Biden Created and Trump Is Cleaning Up
Ninety-four percent of American nursing homes report significant staffing shortages right now.
That number didn't appear out of nowhere.
COVID gutted the workforce – nursing home staffing instability jumped 40% between 2019 and 2022, and nearly 900 facilities closed entirely since the pandemic started, displacing more than 31,000 residents.
Biden's solution?
An unfunded mandate telling nursing homes to hire nurses that don't exist.
His CMS finalized a rule in April 2024 requiring nearly 3.5 hours of nursing care per resident per day – with no funding to make it happen.
Fifteen Republican governors sent Biden a letter telling him it would destroy rural care.
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Nursing home operators sued to stop it.
A federal judge in Texas eventually vacated the rule entirely, ruling Biden's HHS had exceeded its statutory authority.
Democrats spent years demanding more nurses for nursing homes without paying for a single one.
Trump just wrote the check.
What the Nurses for Nursing Homes Program Actually Does
Speaking at a midterm rally in Fort Myers, Florida, Trump announced the Nurses for Nursing Homes initiative – $275 million in real money directed at the people who actually deliver care.
Nurses who commit to three years of full-time work at a qualifying nursing home can receive up to $40,000 in student loan repayment, a $10,000 stipend, or both.
That's $50,000 in total compensation – without taking a dime from taxpayers.
The entire program is funded through civil monetary penalties CMS and states have already collected from nursing homes for violations.
No new taxes.
No unfunded mandates.
No lawsuits from nursing home operators.
CMS is contributing $100 million while states are committing at least another $175 million – and all 50 states plus the District of Columbia are already participating.
Every rural nursing facility in the country is eligible.
Additional facilities in high-need urban areas qualify as well.
The money follows the need.
"This initiative will recruit and retain thousands of nurses, expand care in rural and high-need communities, and create new pathways into long-term care careers," HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz put it plainly: "Without taking a dime from taxpayers, CMS is empowering the next generation of nurses to pursue their dreams and helping residents form deep bonds with caregivers so they can live happier, healthier lives."
The program expects to support more than 4,000 nurses nationwide.
Applications opened today at NursesforNursingHomes.cms.gov.
The Contrast Every Nursing Home Family Needs to See
The difference between what Biden did and what Trump just did isn't complicated.
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Biden issued a mandate and walked away – leaving nursing home operators to find workers that weren't there, fund positions they couldn't afford, and face fines if they failed.
A federal judge called that approach unlawful.
Trump's team built a program that pays nurses directly, uses money already collected from bad actors, and gets every state in the country to co-invest.
For the 1.2 million Americans living in nursing homes right now – and for every person over 65 who may one day need one – this isn't a policy debate.
It's whether there's a trained nurse walking the halls at 2 a.m. or an empty station and a call button nobody answers.
Biden lectured nursing home operators for four years.
Trump just gave 4,000 nurses a reason to show up.
Sources:
- Jasmine Baehr, "Trump announces $275M nursing-home nurse initiative at Florida midterm rally," Fox Business, October 26, 2026.
- American Health Care Association, "Historic Staffing Shortages Continue To Force Nursing Homes To Limit New Admissions," AHCA, 2022.
- Fierce Healthcare, "Biden administration's nursing home staffing requirements vacated by federal judge," Fierce Healthcare, 2025.
- Becker's Hospital Review, "5 states where highest, lowest rate of nursing homes report staffing shortages," Becker's Hospital Review, 2022.
- TheSeniorList, "Nursing Home Statistics in 2026," TheSeniorList, December 21, 2025.
