(Congress Report) – Republicans who are members of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis and the House Oversight Committee have now teamed up as part of an investigation into the thousands of nursing home deaths that took place in New York state during the first part of the COVID pandemic, going on to claim that Democrats in New York have ignored previous inquiries into the matter.
According to a report from Just the News, this whole mess started in 2020, when thousands of residents living in New York nursing homes died during the thick of the pandemic, which drew heavy criticism to then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s policy of sending elderly patients recovering from cases of COVID into nursing homes.
The man sent folks who were carrying this potentially lethal virus into places where the most vulnerable of our population resides, seemingly not caring about the fact that the initial wave of the illness targeted that group of people for severe cases. This is poor leadership to put it mildly.
Not long after this information was made known, Cuomo came under much deserved fire for allegations that he had been hiding the number of nursing home deaths that were happening as a result of his failed policy. Thomas DiNapoli put out an audit in the early part of 2022 that revealed New York’s Health Department “failed to account for more than approximately 4,100 lives in nursing homes due to COVID-19.”
“While the Department’s duty is to act solely to promote public health, we determined that, rather than providing accurate and reliable information during a public health emergency, the Department instead conformed its presentation to the Executive’s narrative, often presenting data in a manner that misled the public,” the audit went on to say.
“Lawmakers sent a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul demanding records of key information, including how many total deaths there were and what directives were issued by the governor’s office ‘regarding hospital discharges to nursing homes or any and all other types of assisted living facilities…'” the report continued.
“We owe it to the thousands of families who lost loved ones in New York nursing homes to hold Governor Cuomo accountable for his reckless policies that likely contributed to their deaths,” Oversight Committee Ranking Member James Comer remarked. “It’s past time New York officials provide Congress all information and data about former Governor Cuomo’s deadly order. We need answers and accountability now.”
The Republicans said they sent out previous inquiries to Cuomo’s office, but it seemingly did no good.
“Every family deserves answers and accountability for Corrupt Cuomo’s order that resulted in the deaths of thousands of seniors in New York’s nursing homes. For the sake of families who needlessly lost loved ones, I am providing critical oversight of all data on Cuomo’s deadly order,” House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik went on to explain. “We must know how much Kathy Hochul knew about Cuomo’s criminal nursing home coverup and have accountability for the senseless loss of lives.”
Houchl’s office, at the time this was written, did not respond to a request for comment from Just the News.
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