Disgraced former New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has agreed to testify before a panel of House lawmakers regarding his administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York nursing homes. The testimony is scheduled for June 11 and will be conducted behind closed doors. Cuomo’s agreement follows more than a month after a subpoena was issued by the Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. Cuomo resigned in 2021 due to various scandals, including allegations of covering up COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.
Cuomo has denied that his administration’s policy requiring nursing homes to accept COVID-19-positive patients in March 2020 led to additional deaths. However, a recent report by New York’s comptroller found that Cuomo had misled the public by undercounting such deaths by more than 50%. An analysis by The Empire Center revealed that the policy potentially caused 1,000 additional nursing home deaths. Lawmakers, including Rep. Brad Wenstrup, expressed concern over the decision to expose vulnerable individuals to highly contagious patients.
Wenstrup highlighted that the committee had reached out to Cuomo about nine months ago, but received no response. A spokesman for Cuomo disputed the claim, stating that the agreement to testify was made months ago and accused the current situation of being politically motivated. The former governor’s representative emphasized that multiple reviews conducted by the Department of Justice under both the Trump and Biden administrations, as well as Congress and the Manhattan District Attorney, did not find any wrongdoing on Cuomo’s part. The issue has been further complicated by the involvement of multiple states with similar policies.
In addition to Cuomo’s upcoming testimony, the House panel also announced that Dr. Anthony Fauci has agreed to testify on the origins and government response to the pandemic. Fauci’s testimony is scheduled for June 3, preceding Cuomo’s appearance before the committee. The focus on key figures involved in the pandemic response reflects ongoing efforts to understand the decision-making processes at various levels of government. The hearings aim to shed light on the actions taken during the height of the pandemic and to identify any shortcomings that could inform future public health responses by policymakers and administrators.