Iowa GOP hearts the nursing home industry

Republicans love big government, sometimes.

They won’t hesitate to pass edicts telling schools what sort of history they must teach and what kind of books can’t be in their libraries. They’ve tried to regulate transgender people out of existence. They are using government to obliterate all traces of diversity, equity and inclusion on university campuses.

When it means smashing so-called liberal indoctrination, they wield government like a club to enforce adherence to their conservative worldview.

So, it’s a real shame long-term care facilities aren’t holding drag shows. That way, our GOP leaders might pay some attention to the plight of residents.

When the feds rolled out new staffing regulations for nursing homes, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds expressed strong opposition. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird filed a lawsuit with 19 other states to stop the regulations.

What was the feds’ insidious plan? They would have required facility staff to provide at least 3.48 hours of care to each resident daily. Also, each facility would be required to have a registered nurse on site 24 hours a day.

The rule exempted rural facilities, where it’s apparently OK to provide substandard care.

Seems like a good idea, given the horrifying headlines we’ve seen in recent years about residents being deprived of needed care. University of Pennsylvania research found revising the rule could save 13,000 lives yearly.

But you’re all wrong. Requiring minimum care standards for vulnerable residents was tantamount to destroying the entire long-term care industry, according to the industry and its political mouthpieces.

“I am suing to stop the Biden-Harris attack on senior care that will force nursing homes out of business, increase costs for families, and remove access to senior care altogether,” Bird said in a statement announcing her lawsuit in October 2024.

But an even bigger development was the election of Donald Trump.

In August of 2025, according to the New York Times in an story published last week, the industry raised $4.8 million for MAGA Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC, in a matter of weeks. Later in August, the Times reports industry leaders had a delightful lunch with Trump at his golf club in suburban D.C. They urged him to scrap the staffing regulations.

Not long after that, government lawyers stopped defending the rule. In December, the rule was fully revoked. The Times notes that there’s “no evidence” scrapping the rule was tied to donations or lunch. Yeah, OK.

One of the executives at lunch was Ensign Group CEO Barry Port. A subsidiary of Ensign donated $750,000 to MAGA. According to a map on the company website, Ensign owns several care facilities in Iowa. In 2024. one of its locations was fined for failing to adequately respond to bedbugs, according to Iowa Capital Dispatch reporter Clark Kauffman.

Speaking to an audience in Nashville, Post said,“ We’ve got what appears to be a regulatory-friendly White House and Congress.”

Fact Check: True.

It’s more than unfortunate, because the staffing rules could have had an impact. Pennsylvania researchers reported that 83% of U.S. nursing homes had staffing levels lower than the new minimum for at least half of 2023. Two-thirds missed the minimum for the entire year.

The Iowa Health Care Association, which represents long-term care providers, donated around $280,000 during 2025, mostly to state lawmakers. That includes $50,000 for Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, who can decide which bills live or die.

So, learning about LGBTQ history is dangerous. Nursing home residents with severe bedsores, injuries from falling, lying in feces and maybe drugged into sedation are not problems in need of regulation.

There is so much to remember in November. Better make a list.

(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com