Caregivers for the elderly could lose wage protections under Trump proposal

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NPR

January 29, 2026 5:00 AM ET


Caring for the elderly in America is costly – too costly for many people to afford. Now, the Trump administration is attempting to tackle that problem by rolling back wage protections for more than 3 million workers who care for seniors and the disabled in their homes.

The Labor Department has proposed rescinding an Obama-era rule that extended coverage of the Fair Labor Standards Act to home care workers. The 2013 rule granted them labor protections most other workers have had since 1938.

Those include the right to earn at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and overtime, paid at one-and-a-half times their regular rate when they work more than 40 hours a week. At the time, the Labor Department said the change would fulfill President Obama's promise to "ensure that direct care workers receive a fair day's pay for a fair day's work."

The Trump administration says the rule has not produced the intended benefits and instead created problems, harming employers, workers and the families they serve. Labor advocates counter that taking away wage protections will drive even more workers out of an industry which already sees annual turnover of about 80%.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/29/nx-s1-5626767/home-care-seniors-trump-labor-overtime

[Ocelot II]

1. Many of these workers are immigrants.

A friend who lives in a senior facility reported that a significant number of their staff are afraid to come to work or have been detained. Reducing their pay is hardly going to be an incentive to keep these people on the job when ICE is after them.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

5. That is the case where I live as well.

While I am capable to live on my own without aid, there are residents who cannot. The Aides here are kind and hardworking people from Somalia, Nigeria, Liberia, Jamaica, other parts of Africa, etc. All vetted and good people.

The Residence Director knows that ICE is not allowed into the building carrying weapons of any kind and without a warrant from a Hennepin County Judge. A warrant is issued for a location for evidence of crimes committed. There are NO crimes being committed where I live.

[deurbano]

2. And not just caregivers for the elderly. My disabled daughter was onstage at the press conference w/Obama in Dec., 2011

when he proposed those new labor protections. (She employs home care providers, and is also an advocate for domestic workers' rights.)

If you scroll down, you can see my daughter (Sascha, but they left out an 's') sitting in a wheelchair:

https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/12/15/ensuring-fair-pay-homecare-workers

I am one of her caregivers, and I do work overtime (which is cheaper than getting another caregiver to work those hours, but whatever), so thanks again for the unrelenting commitment to rolling back everything of any value for regular Americans in order to ensure more billions for oligarchs. We already have a dire shortage of caregivers, exacerbated by the 10,000 plus Boomers (like me) leaving the labor force every year... a demographic cohort that is also rapidly developing disabling conditions that require home care support... so we have many more people (a tsunami of them) needing home care and a much smaller workforce to provide it... PLUS immigrant workers (including those who are undocumented) from "shithole" countries disproportionately provide that type of care, so deportations are already exacerbating this crisis. And now he wants to pay these critical workers less, too! Brilliant move!

https://www.epi.org/blog/trumps-deportation-plans-threaten-400000-direct-care-jobs-older-adults-and-people-with-disabilities-could-lose-vital-in-home-support/#:~:text=The%20Trump%20administration's%20deportation%20agenda,remain%20safely%20in%20their%20homes.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Here is the image

Thank you for sharing that backstory!!!

[Bayard]

3. People who can now stay in their homes with caregivers,

Will have to more to nursing homes. Medicaid will pay for it. How is this saving money?

[Bengus81]

6. Medicaid will pay less and less as it's gutted by the big BULLSHIT bill.

Starting on 1/1/27 the gutting of nearly $100 BILLION $$ begins