WASHINGTON, D.C. (WWNY) – Former Governor Andrew Cuomo testified Tuesday before a House committee that accuses him of covering up nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has been more than four years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, but on Capitol Hill, it’s at the top of peoples’ minds.
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo testified before the Republican-led House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The investigation into Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic stems from an order issued in March 2020 that initially kept nursing homes from turning away patients who’d had COVID.
More than 9,000 recovering COVID patients were brought into nursing homes after being discharged from the hospital before the order was rescinded. Many people thought the order was accelerating outbreaks.
“Even then at the beginning of the pandemic, a lot of people scratched their heads over that. It’s like throwing a lit match into a pile of straw,” said state Senator Dan Stec (R. – 45th District).
Cuomo began his opening statement by pointing the blame at former President Donald Trump.
“His lies and denials delayed our response, let the virus spread, and this country never caught up,” said Cuomo.
The testimony heated up during a back-and-forth between Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Cuomo.
“There is a reason you are the former Governor of New York State, and you will never hold elected office again. I yield back,” said Stefanik (R. – 21st District).
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (R. – 24th District) spoke with 7 News, calling the former governor a “pathological liar.”
“He’s now standing here and, in my opinion, lying to Congress which, by the way, is a crime. He is continuing to blame others instead of taking responsibility for these tragedies,” she said.
State Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R. – 117th District) hopes Cuomo is held accountable.
“I think what they were hoping, the Cuomo administration, is that this is old history, that things would just smoothly go forward, and he may not be held accountable to this. This is one of the reasons this community is pressing this,” he said.
According to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties saw 92 COVID-related nursing home deaths from March 2020 through August of this year.
Copyright 2024 WWNY. All rights reserved.
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.