Disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is set to testify publicly before Congress for the first time regarding his controversial handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes, which killed thousands of vulnerable seniors.
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic has requested Cuomo’s testimony in a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Earlier this year, Mr. Cuomo appeared before the Select Subcommittee for a grueling seven-hour, closed-door, transcribed interview. Among those interviewed were the former Secretary to the Governor, Melissa DeRosa, and the former New York Health Department Commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker (who stepped down in 2021.)
Chairman of the Select Subcommittee, Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), issued a strong statement today.
“Andrew Cuomo owes answers to the 15,000 families who lost loved ones in New York’s nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Wenstrup. “On September 10, Americans will have the opportunity to hear directly from the former governor about New York’s potentially fatal nursing home policies.”
“During closed-door testimony, Mr. Cuomo was shockingly callous when pressed to explain discrepancies in nursing home death counts, repeatedly deflected responsibility for the nursing home directive, and most egregiously, showed little remorse for the thousands of lives lost.”
“A true leader owns up to his mistakes and takes responsibility for wrongdoing. That is not what we saw from Mr. Cuomo during his term as governor nor during his transcribed interview. We hope that during his public hearing next week, Mr. Cuomo will stop dodging accountability and honestly answer the American people.”
Cuomo’s actions during the pandemic, particularly his administration’s directives that forced COVID-19 patients back into nursing homes, have been widely condemned as one of the most egregious failures in pandemic management.
A 2020 study revealed 45% of all US coronavirus deaths occurred in nursing homes. Only 0.6% of the US population lives in nursing homes, but over 45% of the coronavirus deaths were in these centers.
The infamous directive, issued by New York’s Department of Health, mandated that nursing homes accept COVID-19 patients from hospitals, effectively turning these facilities into breeding grounds for the virus.
During the peak of the pandemic in March 2020, his administration issued directivesmandating that nursing homes accept COVID-19 patients without requiring testing. This reckless policy not only endangered residents but also turned New York into a national epicenter for COVID-19-related nursing home deaths.
The New York Department of Health’s orders included, per Yaacov Apelbaum from the Illustrated Primer:
- Expedited admissions: All nursing homes must comply with the return of residents from hospitals without testing.
- No denial based on diagnosis: Residents could not be denied admission based on confirmed or suspected COVID-19 diagnoses.
The reasons behind Cuomo’s deadly directives revealed a web of corruption and cronyism. In 2018, as Governor Andrew Cuomo faced a challenge to his reelection bid in the New York State Democratic primary, he got a last-minute $1m cash infusion from the General New York Hospital Association (GNYHA)—a powerful NY healthcare industry group.
On April 2, 2020, he repaid the favor when he quietly signed legislation shielding hospital and nursing home executives from any lawsuits stemming from the coronavirus outbreak.
The clauses, inserted into the annual budget bill by Cuomo, gave blanket immunity protections for healthcare industry executive and administrators, the same individuals and institutions that have made a fortune moving sick Covid-19 patients to nursing homes.
The GNYHA’s influence over Cuomo was evident, as the organization funneled millions of dollars into Democrat campaigns, with Cuomo and his state party committeereceiving nearly $2.3 million.
In return, Cuomo’s directive forcing COVID-19 patients back into elderly homes resulted in a windfall for healthcare organizations associated with the GNYHA, who profited handsomely from the influx of COVID patients. It was a bonanza for these entities, but a death sentence for thousands of New Yorkers.
The March 25, 2020 nursing home edict issued by the New York state (NYS) Department of Health (DOH) is NOT the only order NYS enacted, which mandated that COVID-19-infected patients got sent into congregate care facilities from hospitals.
NYS ALSO sent COVID-19-infected patients into adult care facilities (ACFs) and into group homes managed under the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD).
ACFs serve older people who have medical needs, but do not require nursing home care. NYS OPWDD serves individuals who acquired a disability before the age of 22.
Examples of covered disabilities include, but are not limited to: autism, mental retardation, brain injury, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy. Some of these individuals (who can be any age, including seniors, as long as they acquired their disability before age 22) are among New York’s most vulnerable.
Despite mounting evidence of wrongdoing, Cuomo has continued to evade accountability.
An investigation into his actions related to the nursing home deaths was quietly dropped by Biden’s DOJ, sparking outrage among the families of the victims and the public at large.
In August 2020, the Department of Justice requested data from four Democrat governors on their orders to send sick COVID-19 patients to nursing homes.
As TGP reported numerous times, — Five Democrat governors sent COVID-19 patients into nursing homes.
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