Nick LaLota's aye on July 3, 2025 went to a law that trims $340 billion over ten years from Medicaid money nursing homes share with hospitals. The same law sets aside the federal nursing-home staffing floor until 2034. Its cuts reach a Medicaid population that includes 22 million people age 50 and up, per KFF.
In May 2025 the House bill could not pass without LaLota, and it froze two rules on Medicare premium help. In February 2025 his budget vote was again deciding: had he switched, the resolution would have tied, and a tie fails. That resolution set an $880 billion target for the committee over Medicaid. Across New York, Medicaid pays first for 65% of nursing-home residents.
Nick LaLota's Votes on Nursing Homes, Home Care and Help for Low-Income Seniors
- LaLota Voted to Shelve the Nursing-Home Staffing Rule Until 2034. On July 3, 2025, Nick LaLota cast one of 218 ayes, against 214 noes, for H.R. 1's final version. KFF writes that its Medicaid cuts "could affect the 22 million people ages 50 and older with coverage under the Medicaid program." The law puts the 2024 staffing floor for nursing homes beyond federal enforcement through September 30, 2034. KFF notes this keeps a court's rejection of key parts of the rule in force. Shelving the rule means $23 billion less in federal Medicaid spending across ten years, per KFF. Consumer Voice, a residents' advocacy group, says "The minimum staffing rule was estimated to save 13,000 lives annually." Separate caps on provider taxes and state-directed payments, which nursing homes rely on alongside hospitals, take $340 billion more.
- LaLota's One-Vote-Margin Yes Paused Premium Help for Poor Seniors. H.R. 1's first House test, on May 22, 2025, ended 215 to 214. LaLota's yea sat inside that one-vote cushion. Like the final law, the House bill froze most of two rules meant to ease Medicaid enrollment for seniors already on Medicare. KFF reports the final law's freeze is "collectively estimated to reduce federal Medicaid spending by $122 billion," and the rules were aimed mostly at older and disabled people. Take a senior with $967 a month in income: without the help, KFF figures, a $185 monthly Medicare premium eats close to a fifth of it.
- LaLota's February Budget Vote Put Home Care in the Path of an $880 Billion Target for Medicaid's Committee. February 25, 2025 brought the first budget vote, on H.Con.Res. 14. It carried 217 to 215, LaLota among the yeas. Had he crossed over, the tie would have sunk it. Its text ordered Energy and Commerce to "reduce the deficit by not less than $880,000,000,000". According to KFF, "Medicaid pays for almost 70% of all home care spending in the U.S., nearly all of which is provided through optional services." Optional benefits, the Bipartisan Policy Center warns, are "more vulnerable to reductions during periods of state or federal budget constraints."
Where Nick LaLota's Votes Land for Older New Yorkers and Their Caregivers
- 20,300 seniors in New York's 1st District are on the Medicaid the law cuts. Of the Medicaid enrollees in New York's 1st District in 2025, 20,300 were seniors, KFF's district table shows. For many of them Medicaid covers a nursing-home bed or a home aide. Less federal Medicaid money squeezes both.
- 65% of New York's 99,192 nursing-home residents lean on Medicaid first. New York's certified nursing facilities held 99,192 residents in 2025, by KFF's count. Of those, 65% had Medicaid as primary payer, and Medicare covered 17%. The law keeps the federal staffing rule for those homes unenforced until September 30, 2034.
- A Medicaid home-care waiting list already holds 465 New Yorkers. As of 2026, 465 people sat on New York's list for Medicaid home and community care, by KFF's tally. States need not offer that care, which the Bipartisan Policy Center says leaves it more vulnerable to cuts when budgets tighten. It is what lets people get care at home instead of in an institution.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nick LaLota on Elder care
What is Nick LaLota's record on elder care under Trump?
In May 2025 and again in July, Nick LaLota cast a yes vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That law keeps the federal nursing-home staffing floor unenforced until September 30, 2034. It also halts most of two rules easing premium help for low-income seniors. LaLota's deciding February 2025 budget vote gave Medicaid's committee its $880 billion target; Medicaid is the main payer for home care.
Did Nick LaLota vote to stop minimum staffing rules for nursing homes?
Yes. Nick LaLota's July 3, 2025 aye went to a law barring enforcement of the 2024 staffing rule through September 30, 2034. The rule required 3.48 hours of total nurse staffing per resident each day and a registered nurse on site around the clock. Consumer Voice says it "was estimated to save 13,000 lives annually." New York's certified nursing facilities housed 99,192 people in 2025.
Could older adults on Long Island lose Medicaid under the work rule Nick LaLota voted for?
Yes, if they are under 65: Nick LaLota voted for a work rule that covers expansion adults up to age 64. KFF found "fewer than half of adults ages 50-64 would meet the work requirements through either employment or school." The rest must prove an exemption or other activity, or lose coverage.
Last updated: 2026-10-27