Washington — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is ready to testify publicly earlier than a Republican-led Home subcommittee subsequent week on his administration’s dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing properties, the panel introduced on Tuesday.
Cuomo’s administration has confronted vital criticism for the way it dealt with nursing dwelling residents who contracted COVID-19 within the early months of the pandemic. New York mandated in March 2020 that nursing properties should admit sufferers who examined constructive for COVID. The administration was later accused of underreporting deaths in nursing properties, together with by New York Legal professional Basic Letitia James, who launched a 2021 report asserting that the state could have undercounted COVID-19 deaths in nursing dwelling sufferers by as a lot as 50%.
“Andrew Cuomo owes solutions to the 15,000 households who misplaced family members in New York’s nursing properties in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the chairman of the choose subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic, Rep. Brad Wenstrup, stated in a press release.
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Wenstrup stated Individuals can have an opportunity to listen to from Cuomo about “New York’s doubtlessly deadly nursing dwelling insurance policies” after the previous governor testified earlier than the panel behind closed doorways in June following a subpoena for his testimony. The Ohio Republican stated Cuomo was “shockingly callous” when requested about nursing dwelling demise counts and “repeatedly deflected duty.”
“We hope that in his public listening to subsequent week, Mr. Cuomo will cease dodging accountability and truthfully reply the American folks,” Wenstrup added.
Wealthy Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, stated the previous governor agreed to testify voluntarily on the Sept. 10 listening to, whereas criticizing the committee for persevering with to “interact in false political assaults blaming New York for nursing dwelling deaths” regardless of the state following federal steering. Cuomo resigned from workplace in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations. Cuomo has denied the allegations.
Azzopardi put the blame again on Republicans and former President Donald Trump, saying the “key query” issues the demise toll from COVID-19 below the Trump administration — and the right way to forestall it from occurring once more.
“Will probably be Governor Cuomo’s pleasure to hitch the committee as soon as once more to attempt to get a solution,” Azzopardi stated. “The American folks deserve the reality, and these partisan political video games should cease as a result of this can be a matter of life and demise.”
