Trump announces $250M-plus initiative to recruit, retain nursing home nurses

Nursing students and freshly-minted nurses qualify for this grant, once they meet time employed at rural or other tough-to-staff nursing homes. CMS is handling applications.
https://nursesfornursinghomes.cms.gov/

In most nursing homes, actual nurses are nowhere to be seen. It's a serious problem when administrators are serving meals, CNA ghosting is normal, and nurses aides routinely pass medications - all of which occurs in sheltered West Michigan. (Not to mention resulting patient harm.)

Much as I prefer local solutions, I have to admit this program is well-targeted. Aside from working conditions, which are awful and self-perpetuating, a major contributing factor is the broken pipeline to job entry transition. Most nurses who leave the profession do so within a year of graduating from nursing school. 

In the absence of nurses, state rule-making, inspections, and penalties have attempted (and failed) to fill the quality gap in nursing homes. As nurses come back, it's to be hoped that state micromanagement will subside to allow nurses management authority. Otherwise, no amount of federal bonus money will be adequate to sustain morale. The cycle will just start over.

The Hill reports.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/6173980-trump-announces-nursing-home-initiative/

Trump announces $250M-plus initiative to recruit, retain nursing home nurses

Tara Suter     |    October 26, 2026 

President Trump announced Monday an initiative worth hundreds of millions of dollars to recruit and retain nursing home nurses.

“The Trump Administration is proud to announce a 250 MILLION DOLLAR PLUS initiative to RECRUIT and RETAIN Nurses for Nursing Homes!” Trump said in a Truth Social post Monday evening.

“This Federal and State Initiative will support thousands and thousands of Nurses and Nursing Students Nationwide, including those serving rural communities,” the president added.

Trump said in the post that the initiative will be under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and that it will provide nurses “up to $50,000 in Grants for working in rural communities or understaffed facilities.”

“This Fund was nearly a THIRD of this amount until I stepped in, and had our Great Governors join the fight. Now many more of our Incredible Nurses can be rewarded for helping our Fantastic Seniors,” the president said.

Earlier this month, Senate Democrats published aims of overhauling the American long-term care system, including both home care and nursing homes.

“It has been decades since Congress enacted a comprehensive, system-level investment in long-term care infrastructure and financing. And a system-level investment is what is needed,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said at the time.