Member News
Check out what ASHA’s doing for the seniors housing industry by clicking on the links below. For additional information related to government affairs or advocacy, please contact Jeanne McGlynn Delgado at jeanne@ashaliving.org and Sheff Richey at sheff@ashaliving.org. Questions about the Associations meetings and sponsorship can be directed to Doris Maultsby at doris@ashaliving.org. For all other inquiries reach out to David Schless, ASHA president & CEO at david@ashaliving.org.
July 17, 2025
On July 17, 2025, ASHA sent a letter in support of the Dignity Act of 2025 (H.R. 4393). ASHA strongly supports the efforts of Representatives Maria Salazar (R-FL), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), and their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives who have co-sponsored this meaningful bipartisan immigration reform legislation. It not only addresses the security of the border but proposes a fair and humane process to address the undocumented foreign nationals in this country who are critical to meeting our nation’s workforce needs, especially those who care for our older adults who require long term care.
Click Here for the letter.
June 24, 2025
On June 24, ASHA and Argentum sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem seeking a delay in the termination of humanitarian programs, such as the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV), Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans and Haitians, and other programs that are currently providing parolees the ability to live and work in the United States. With the sudden termination of these programs, essential senior living workers are receiving notices to immediately leave their workplace and to self deport. Given the current workforce shortage in senior living, this poses a danger to our residents who rely on these caregivers and other essential workers. Therefore, a one-year delay is urgently requested to allow our communities to appropriately respond to these abrupt changes.
Our workers are key to maintaining the health and wellbeing of the residents they serve, thereby reducing the need for more critical services or hospitalization. When residents of senior living are well cared for, the overall healthcare system benefits. It would be a disservice to our residents who are frail and in need of supportive services, to terminate the programs that have helped to supply our long-term care workforce.
Click here for the full letter
June 18, 2025
On June 18, ASHA and the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition (EWIC) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requesting they consider policy changes and improvements to policies and programs addressing the critical need for legal channels for essential workers, including:
- Expand and Modernize Visa Programs: Streamline and broaden visa programs to better reflect the year-round and seasonal needs of today’s economy and ensure that legal channels are available for workers in all essential sectors.
- Promote Efficient and Fair Processing: Reduce bureaucratic delays and ensure that employers can quickly and reliably access the talent they need to keep their businesses running and expand economic growth.
- Provide Certainty and Stability: Offer solutions that allow long-serving, trusted essential workers—who have built lives and careers in the U.S.—to continue contributing to our communities if they meet certain qualifications.
June 12, 2025
On June 12, ASHA joined with our real estate partner organizations in a letter to Senate Finance Committee members expressing our concerns relative to the significant impact retaliatory taxes will have on real estate investment and the cost of capital.
Specifically, the coalition requested the Senate revise Section 899, ENFORCEMENT OF REMEDIES AGAINST UNFAIR FOREIGN TAXES of the House passed Budget Reconciliation bill to exempt non-controlling investments in U.S. real estate, regardless of whether those investments are made through equity or debt. We also seek relief for existing transactions and investment that were made and negotiated on well settled current tax rules and treaties.
This provision is designed to retaliate against foreign taxes that discriminate against American businesses. The purpose is to put pressure on foreign governments to reform their unfair practices. However, in doing so, it imposes taxes on inbound investment, creating negative and unintended consequences for the nation’s housing supply, including seniors housing. The higher tax rates triggered by Section 899 would apply broadly to foreign investment in U.S. real estate. The rates would apply to interest income (foreign lenders to U.S. real estate) and dividend income (foreign equity investors in U.S. REITs), as well as direct investments in U.S. real estate. In many cases, Section 899 would result in higher capital gains taxes as well.
If enacted, Section 899 would have a chilling effect on real estate investment and would also impose and new tax burden on U.S. real estate owners and create an unfair retroactive application to current investments.
Click here for the coalition letter.
May 20, 2025
On May 20, 2025, ASHA joined in coalition with national real estate associations in a letter to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer requesting they suspend and revise the 2023 DOL Davis-Bacon final rule.
In August 2023, the DOL issued a final rule updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) regulations, which took effect on October 23, 2023. This rule, titled "Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations," significantly revised the prevailing wage determination process used for federally funded or assisted construction projects.
Addressing the harm caused by the prior Administration’s Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 (“Davis-Bacon Act”) related regulatory efforts will help to increase the nation’s housing supply, eliminate overly complex and unnecessary federal regulations, and maximize taxpayer funding by lowering per-unit delivery costs for federally funded projects. The coalition asks the DOL act to rescind the 2023 final rule and implement reforms to support the development of more affordable housing.
Click here for the full coalition statement to HUD and DOL.
April 15, 2025
On April 15, ASHA joined the Coalition for a Democratic Workforce (CDW), a group of business and trade associations joined by mutual concern over regulatory overreach, in a letter to Congress in support of the Start Applying Labor Transparency (SALT) Act.
The SALT Act would amend the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) to require labor organizations to register with the Department of Labor (DOL) their "salts," or employees who infiltrate other businesses to trigger an organizing campaign. In the letter, CDW explains, "salting is inherently coercive, but, currently, neither unions nor salts are required to disclose their actions, in sharp contrast to the reports employers must file under the LMRDA." The SALT Act would enhance transparency for employees regarding whom they are working with and what their intentions are.
ASHA will continue to work with CDW, to stop any labor advancements harmful to businesses.
Click Here for the Letter
March 26, 2025
On March 26, ASHA joined with real estate industry partners in urging Congress to preserve investment in real estate by maintaining longstanding tax law as it relates to carried interest and capital gains. Carried interest is a crucial tool driving American real estate investment, spurring housing development, and promoting the growth of our built environment. Retaining capital gains tax treatment for carried interest helps ensure our nation can meet the goals of increasing housing supply, modernizing our building stock, and contributing to economic growth.
March 18, 2025
On March 12, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing entitled “Breaking the Cycle of Senior Loneliness: Strengthening Family and Community Support.” Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), Chairman and Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) convened the hearing to call attention to the health risks associated with loneliness and the need to do more, including Congress to address this epidemic. The Committee is expected to hold hearings every two weeks in the 119th Congress, this being the fifth hearing since January, outpacing most committees.
ASHA submitted a statement to the committee, highlighting the significant efforts the senior living industry employs to promote social engagement among residents. We also shared with the Committee, Senior Living Communities: Uniquely Positioned to Reduce Social Isolation and Promote Social Connection in Older Adults. This Special Issue Brief was prepared for ASHA by ATI Advisory, and included a literature review, senior living company surveys and individual case studies that highlight the impact of social opportunities on residents’ wellbeing. Argentum was a witness at the hearing and presented thoughtful testimony underscoring the importance of senior living in addressing isolation and loneliness.
Senator Scott opened the hearing with a statement about the impacts of senior loneliness: “The sad reality we face today is that a growing number of senior citizens are suffering from mental and physical health issues, largely driven by an epidemic of loneliness. Despite public health officials sounding the alarm, the issue has not yet been addressed through any major legislation.”
Other hearing witnesses included the YMCA of the USA, the Foundation for Social Connection-Action Network, and Clayton County Seniors Services Department. Senator Scott recently introduced bipartisan legislation, the Social Engagement and Network Initiatives for Older Relief (SENIOR Act) which among other things, adds “loneliness” to the definition of “disease prevention and health promotion services” under the Older Americans Act. It also directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prepare a report on the impacts of loneliness on seniors and propose solutions for identifying impacts; and analyzes the relationship between the strength of multigenerational family units, loneliness, and seniors. ASHA expressed support for this bill and interest in working with the committee on this and other issues of importance to the industry.
Click Here for ASHA's Statement
March 7, 2025
On March 7, ASHA joined in coalition with real estate industry partners to ask Congress to reject any cap or limit to the deductibility of business-related property taxes, otherwise known as business SALT (B-SALT).
Property taxes paid by businesses are fundamentally different from state and local individual income taxes. Property taxes are an unavoidable expense, an inescapable cost of operating any business, large or small, public or private. Eliminating the business deduction for property taxes would be the equivalent of raising business owners’ property tax bills by roughly 40 percent, causing employers to owe federal tax on money that they do not have. It would lead to insolvencies and foreclosures, and it would cause self-inflicted injury to the U.S. economy, including unnecessary job losses, pressure on rents for families and individuals, and other inflationary cost increases for American consumers.
February 24, 2025
ASHA joined with our coalition partners in the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition (EWIC) to ask Congress to reject a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would repeal a final Biden Administration rule to permanently extend the automatic renewal period for certain Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) from 180 days to 540 days, a necessary and well-reasoned policy that benefits U.S. businesses, workers, and the economy at large.
The CRA enables Congress and the President, if they are in agreement, to overturn by simple majority regulations that were promulgated during the 60 Senate session days or 60 legislative House days before a session of Congress adjourns, whichever is earlier. In this case, President Trump and congressional Republicans can use the CRA to override rules finalized on or after August 16, 2024.
This rule is an essential workforce stability measure. Government estimates indicate that the temporary 540-day extension has already prevented at least 800,000 legally authorized workers from being forced out of the labor force due to bureaucratic processing delays within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The consequences of rescinding this policy would be dire for businesses, workers and U.S. economic growth.
Click Here for EWIC's Statement