Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is set to testify publicly before the House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on September 10 about his administration’s handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes. The focus will be on a controversial March 25, 2020 directive that required nursing homes to admit COVID-19-positive patients, which has been linked to over 15,000 deaths.
Cuomo has been accused of underreporting these deaths and deflecting responsibility during his closed-door testimony in June, where he claimed ignorance of the directive’s origins.
House Republicans, including Rep. Brad Wenstrup, have criticized Cuomo for his allegedly callous attitude and lack of remorse.
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“Andrew Cuomo owes answers to the 15,000 families who lost loved ones in New York’s nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 10, Americans will have the opportunity to hear directly from the former governor about New York’s potentially fatal nursing home policies,” Wenstrup said in a statement. “We hope that during his public hearing next week, Mr. Cuomo will stop dodging accountability and honestly answer the American people.”
Cuomo’s spokesperson has countered, blaming federal guidance from the Trump administration and calling the inquiry politically motivated.
“This committee has continued to engage in false political attacks blaming New York for nursing home deaths despite the fact that New York was following guidance from [former President] Trump’s CDC and CMS [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services],” spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said. “More than a dozen other states – Democratic and Republican – followed the same guidance or as one of those state’s leaders, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, put it, ‘This was federal guidance. This was what everyone was doing.’”
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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