Cuomo grilled over nursing home COVID-19 directive in heated hearing

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faced intense criticism during a congressional subcommittee hearing on Tuesday regarding his management of the COVID-19 crisis in nursing homes. The hearing was marked by fierce exchanges, particularly over a directive from March 2020 that prevented nursing homes from rejecting patients solely based on their COVID-19 status. This directive led to over 9,000 recovering COVID-19 patients being sent back to nursing homes, a policy later revoked amid concerns it worsened outbreaks.

New York Representative Elise Stefanik labelled the directive as “deadly.” Ohio Representative Brad Wenstrup, chairing the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, criticised the directive as inconsistent with federal guidelines, calling its outcomes “dangerous and disastrous.” Republicans accused Cuomo of a cover-up to mask errors that jeopardised nursing home residents. Wenstrup stated, “Governor, you own this. It’s your name on the letterhead. This is your directive, whether you knew about it or not. You’re the leader. The buck stops with you, or at least it should.”

In over two hours of testimony, Cuomo defended his decisions, attributing failures to the Trump administration’s inadequate provision of testing and personal protective equipment early in the pandemic. “These are all diversions to blame New York and other states for the culpability of the federal response, which was malpractice,” he argued.

Governor Cuomo has shown NO empathy, NO remorse, NO responsibility for the deadly directive that killed thousands in NY nursing homes.

Nicole was NOT going to let him get away with his lies & half-truths. She fact-checked him: pic.twitter.com/acFUHXHlXY

— Office of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (@RepMalliotakis) September 10, 2024

The hearing did not resolve disputes over the directive, intended to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients who needed nursing home care but were not critically ill. The House committee’s report did not address whether many discharged patients were still contagious or if they transmitted the virus within nursing homes. Some public health experts suggest most deaths in nursing homes during the early pandemic likely stemmed from staff, visiting family members, or fellow patients.

Cuomo insisted the committee’s report lacked evidence that the directive caused virus spread, stating, “In fact, the report finds no causality whatsoever. Not one death.” During a contentious moment, Stefanik confronted Cuomo about negotiating a book deal as nursing home deaths occurred, demanding an apology to the grieving families present. Cuomo retorted, “This is not about political theatre.”

The committee also found that Cuomo and his aides attempted to deflect blame by commissioning a report concluding that the rescinded directive had minimal impact on fatalities. Approximately 15,000 COVID-19 deaths occurred among New York’s long-term care residents, significantly higher than initially reported. Cuomo claimed some numbers were initially withheld due to accuracy concerns.

“The governor was desperate to change the narrative — to dispel the notion that his administration failed nursing home residents,” remarked Republican Representative James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee.

Cuomo resigned in August 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, which he denies. Although initially seen as a reassuring figure during the pandemic’s early days, his reputation suffered after it was revealed his administration underreported nursing home and assisted living facility deaths. He testified before the subcommittee in June behind closed doors, with top former administration officials also interviewed.

A separate state report by Cuomo’s successor, Governor Kathy Hochul, released this summer found that while the policies for handling COVID-19 in nursing homes were “rushed and uncoordinated,” they were based on the best available scientific understanding at the time.