Cuomo to testify on nursing home deaths in Congress on Sept. 10

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is set to testify publicly on September 10 before a congressional subcommittee regarding the nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows his previous closed-door testimony in June, where he faced intense questioning about a controversial directive from the state’s Health Department that mandated nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients from hospitals. This policy is believed to have contributed to the rapid spread of the virus in these facilities, resulting in over 15,000 deaths by June 2021. Representative Brad Wenstrup, the subcommittee's chairman, emphasized the need for accountability, stating that Cuomo owes answers to the families affected by these policies. During his earlier testimony, Cuomo reportedly displayed little remorse for the lives lost, attributing the failures to the federal government's handling of the pandemic rather than his own leadership decisions. Cuomo has argued that his administration followed federal guidelines, suggesting that if he had known the consequences of the directive, he would have advised against it. A recent state-commissioned report criticized his pandemic management but did not specifically blame him for the nursing home deaths, indicating that the outcomes were consistent with national trends. The upcoming hearing will provide a platform for Cuomo to address these serious allegations publicly, as the subcommittee continues to investigate the impact of state policies on nursing home residents during the pandemic. This testimony is crucial for the families seeking answers and for understanding the broader implications of the pandemic response in New York.