AG ​Bonta today filed a comment letter that challenges the federal government’s Interim Final Rule, intended to eliminate minimum staffing standards and other comprehensive regulations for long-term health care facilities. Originally established by the Nursing Home Reform initiative, new and improved standards were federally developed and designed to create national requirements for a minimum number of nursing hours in skilled nursing facilities, including minimum staffing requirements for medical professionals like registered nurses. In the comment letter, the coalition foregrounds that with these reforms having been overturned by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, regulations still must exist to improve quality of care and patient health outcomes for residents in skilled nursing facilities across the United States.

“The Trump Administration is encouraging care homes to operate at bare minimum staffing that strips elders of support when they need it most. It is the opposite of compassionate, it is morally bankrupt. Repealing existing standards is reckless and compromises public health, safety, and outcomes of residents in these care facilities, disproportionately affecting elders and minority communities. We urge the federal administration to prioritize the well-being of seniors over financial considerations.” – AG Bonta