Cuomo to Face Congress Over Controversial Nursing Home Advisory During Pandemic

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was subpoenaed last month, will testify before Congress regarding his contentious nursing home advisory from the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic on June 11 at a transcribed interview arranged by Rep. Brad Wenstrup’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. The Ohio Republican and panel chair stated that Cuomo will be questioned about his March 2020 advisory, which prohibited nursing homes from refusing patients solely due to COVID-19 diagnosis. According to Wenstrup, as a doctor who has treated infections, it goes against all medical common sense to place highly contagious individuals among the most vulnerable people. In his March 5 letter sent alongside the subpoena, Wenstrup accused Cuomo of implementing “a misguided decision” that admitted thousands of COVID-19 positive patients into nursing homes causing foreseeable but fatal consequences for New York’s elderly population. The committee started reaching out to Cuomo roughly nine months ago and faced delays in response; however, Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, confirmed their acceptance almost two days prior. Although Cuomo maintains that the advisory was consistent with guidance from CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), this imminent Congress appearance implies that scrutiny of his handling of long-term care facilities during the pandemic will continue. Cuomo’s former secretary, Melissa DeRosa, and former commissioner of NYSDOH Dr Howard Zucker are also set to appear before lawmakers regarding this issue in upcoming hearings. In 2021, CNN KFile discovered that Cuomo downplayed delays concerning nursing home patient and death data while defending his administration against allegations of wrongdoing during the same time frame in which he addressed long-term care homes issues throughout spring 2020.