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New York House Republicans are urging President Trump’s top health officials, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, to determine whether ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo violated federal safety guidance by sending COVID-infected elderly patients released from hospitals into nursing homes during the worst of the pandemic.
The appeal centers on the then-Cuomo administration’s controversial March 25, 2020 directive prodding nursing homes to accept treated COVID patients discharged from hospitals.
“More than 15,000 New York nursing home residents died of COVID during the early part of the pandemic. We just passed the grim five-year anniversary of New York’s infamous March 25, 2020, directive, which forced ill-prepared nursing homes to accept 9,056 COVID-19 patients over a six-week period,” said the letter drafted by Congressman Mike Lawler.
“We are seeking a written determination from your agencies as to whether the New York State Department of Health’s March 25th directive was in compliance with CMS [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid] and CDC [Centers for Disease Control] guidance,” said the Sept. 29 letter sent to Kennedy, secretary of Health and Human Services, CMS Administrator Oz and Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill.
The letter was co-signed by GOP Reps. Elise Stefanik, Claudia Tenney, Andrew Garbarino and Nick LaLota.
The letter comes as Cuomo seeks a comeback bid for New York City mayor, running on an independent “Fight and Deliver” ballot line after losing the Democratic primary to democratic socialist Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
His handling of COVID as governor continues to haunt him.
Earlier Wednesday, Cuomo released a video explicitly apologizing to the ultra-orthodox Jewish community for imposing lockdowns during the pandemic that barred large gatherings, including religious services.
The lawmakers expressed displeasure with Trump’s health team for blowing off a similar letter requesting a ruling on the Cuomo administration’s nursing order on March 6.
“Over six months later, we have yet to receive a response,” they said.
It’s a sensitive issue for RFK Jr. as Cuomo is his ex-brother-in-law, who was once married to his sister, Kerry Kennedy.
While the GOP-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic concluded in
its final report that the Cuomo directive was not consistent with CMS and CDC guidelines and that he committed “medical malpractice”, the agencies themselves have never provided a clear written determination, the lawmakers said.
The Justice Department has reportedly opened a criminal investigation into Cuomo for allegedly lying to Congress about nursing home deaths in the Empire State during the COVID-19 pandemic, a claim he denies.
Families of nursing residents who died from COVID-19 applauded House Republicans for pressing the Trump health team on the issues.
“On behalf of the nursing home families, we are thankful to the NY Republican congressional delegation for giving our lost loved ones a voice and helping the COVID orphans find out the truth!.” said Peter Arbeeny,
Arbeeny’s dad, Norman, 89, died from COVID after a rehab stint in a nursing home in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
The Cuomo campaign fired back and insisted that the March 25,2020 nursing home order was “consistent with federal guidance” and accused Republicans of politicizing the issue.
“More than 1 million Americans died as a result of the COVID pandemic, and our hearts break for the families of every person who lost a loved one –but unfortunately, as the DOJ IG [Department of Justice Inspection General] confirmed, that pain has been weaponized and politicized for purely electoral purposes for years,” Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said.
He claimed reports by the DOJ IG, the state attorney general and New York State’s COVID-19 “After Action” report concluded the state’s nursing home admission guidance under Cuomo “was consistent with federal guidance, was similar to guidance issued in a dozen Republican and Democratic-led states, and there has been no credible empirical evidence that concludes it caused additional deaths.”
“This matter was investigated by the Department of Justice three times and the Manhattan DA, who closed their investigations as a result of no finding of wrongdoing, while multiple civil cases were dismissed,” the Cuomo rep said.
But during his testimony before the House COVID-19 panel, Cuomo admitted to instructing his secretary to write an email to his inner circle referring to the March 25, 2020 directive as “the great debacle in the history books.”.
A few independent studies claimed the March 25, 2020 nursing home directive, during the six weeks it was in effect, did cause additional deaths of nursing home residents.
