This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 218-214 to pass H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation package to advance major parts of the Trump administration agenda. The package was passed without changes from the Senate-passed version, and will go to President Trump to be signed into law for an expected July 4 signing ceremony tomorrow.

As we noted previously, the legislation does not directly impact Medicaid assisted living programs. Argentum has actively advocated against any cuts to Medicaid assisted living and successfully defeated reductions to the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), which could have drastically reduced Medicaid spending and potentially impacted assisted living. As the legislation is implemented, Argentum will be working directly with our State Partners to ensure that state-level reforms do not impact assisted living programs or participants.

The final package also includes a tax deduction for seniors of $6,000 for individuals and $12,000 for couples. The deduction phases out beginning at $75,000 ($150,000 for couples) and completely at $175,000 ($250,000 for couples). The deduction is set to expire in 2028. While this measure is not the targeted long-term care tax credit Argentum sought, it will help to offset some long-term care expenses to increase access and affordability of care. We will continue to advocate for the bipartisan Credit for Caring Act (H.R. 2036 and S. 925) to provide a $5,000 tax credit specific for long-term care expenses as a separate measure this Congress.

Argentum also worked with a broad coalition to successfully secure a measure to allow tax-exempt distributions from 529 savings plans to be used for workforce development purposes, including credentialing programs. Argentum has advocated for this concept through the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act (H.R. 1151 & S. 756) to help senior living workers seeking to advance their career through various credentialing programs.

Other notable provisions of the legislation include:

The U.S. House of Representatives is planning to vote as early as today on H.R. 1, after the Senate voted 51-50 yesterday to pass the budget reconciliation package to advance major parts of the Trump administration agenda. If passed by the House, it will go to President Trump to be signed into law; however, if amended, it will need to go back to the Senate again or potentially to be conferenced with the Senate version.

Vice President J.D. Vance cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate yesterday, after three Republican Senators voted against the bill, Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Susan Collins (R-ME). Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) made a late decision to support passage of the bill after winning numerous concessions from Republican leadership, but noted she expects the House to make further changes to continue negotiations with the Senate.

Importantly, the Senate-passed bill does not impact Medicaid assisted living programs. This has been a top policy priority of Argentum and we have been working closely with policymakers to ensure they understood the critical importance of this program and potential harm to seniors who participate in the program if cuts were imposed.

We are sharing an important update regarding the recent release of draft reconciliation legislation by the Senate Finance Committee. While still subject to change as it advances through the legislative process and reconciliation with the House, several provisions in this draft bill could have meaningful implications for the senior living industry. Argentum is monitoring these developments closely and will continue to provide timely updates as the process unfolds. Below is a summary of key highlights from the draft legislation most relevant to senior living providers. (Please note: This is not a comprehensive review.)

U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) recently visited Generations Ashe at the Ashe County Senior Center in West Jefferson, North Carolina to promote inter-generational programming and to discuss the Care Across Generations Act (H.R. 1812), Argentum-supported legislation to provide grants to co-locate childcare centers with long-term care setting in an effort to promote multigenerational care models and connection. Watch the video.

The House Ways & Means and Energy & Commerce committees are holding hearings this afternoon on their respective portions of the "One Big Beautiful Bill," the budget reconciliation package to advance major portions of the Trump administration agenda. Both hearings begin at 2:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

The proposal includes significant Medicaid reforms that would reduce federal spending by roughly $715 billion over ten years. This is done by reducing the Federal matching funds ("FMAP"), implementing work requirements for "able-bodied" adults, adding more frequent eligibility checks, limiting the ability of states to use provider taxes to finance their portion of Medicaid expenses, and imposing cost sharing for Medicaid expansion enrollees who earn 100%-133% of the federal poverty level. However, it does not include per capita caps for states as many lawmakers have sought. Importantly, the package does not make cuts to Medicaid assisted living programs and Argentum will continue to advocate throughout this process against cuts that would harm access to care for seniors.

Major elements of the package include:

Argentum's priority legislation, the Caring for Seniors Act, has officially been introduced in Congress! The legislation is led by Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Lori Trahan (D-MA), and is intended to address access and affordability of assisted living and the industry’s workforce needs.

H.R. 3000, the Caring for Seniors Act (previously known as the 'Safeguarding Elderly Needs for Innovation and Occupational Resources' or 'SENIOR' Act) would:

1. Create a cost-reduction program allowing seniors to choose assisted living care instead of costlier skilled nursing facilities that rely on Medicaid.
2. Re-target existing HHS and DOL workforce training programs like Job Corps, American Job Centers and others to offer specializations in senior care.
   

The South Florida Sun Sentinel published an op-ed on Sunday, April 13 by Gail Matillo, president and CEO of the Florida Senior Living Association, on the epidemic of loneliness among seniors and the importance of socialization.

This morning, the House voted 216-214 to pass H.Con.Res.14. With the Senate's passage of the bill on Saturday by a vote of 51-48, the two chambers may now formally begin the budget reconciliation process to advance major parts of the Trump Administration agenda, with a goal to complete the process before June.

The resolution provides instructions for Congressional committees to advance portions of the package, which includes a permanent renewal of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act along with immigration and border security, energy and defense policies. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) agreed to seek at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts to safety-net programs in the final package, along with a minimum of $4 billion in savings identified by committees that handle agriculture, nutrition and housing, energy, health, education, and labor policy.

Argentum sent a letter this week to Acting Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Leland Dudek about recent changes that could impact the ability of seniors residing in senior living communities to receive their Social Security benefits.

Starting next Monday, April 14, the SSA will implement updated identity verification procedures intended to enhance security and combat fraud. The SSA will require individuals to prove their identity if applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or changing direct deposit information for existing benefits.

A federal judge, Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, ruled yesterday to strike down the nursing home minimum staffing rule, arguing that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lacked the authority to impose such staffing requirements and violated Congressional intent. The case was dismissed with prejudice and the federal government may appeal the decision.

The rule, Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting, was finalized by the Biden Administration in April 2023 and established federal staffing requirements for Medicare and Medicaid-certified SNFs of 3.48 hours of daily direct care per patient/resident. While it would not directly impact senior living communities, Argentum was concerned with potential unintended impacts of the rule, as long-term care communities would be forced to compete for a finite pool of workers. In joint comments we submitted with a coalition, we advised CMS to instead focus on efforts to strengthen the long-term care workforces through policies to assist in training, recruiting and retaining staff.