Former New York Governor Cuomo Defends COVID Nursing Home Policies
Photo via Reuters
JUSTIN HIGGINS: On September 10, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic to defend his handling of the disease’s spread through the state’s nursing homes beginning in 2020.
The now disgraced Cuomo, who many believed was in line for a cabinet position in President Biden’s cabinet, was praised at the time for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York state. Cuomo’s daily televised coronavirus briefings led him to an 80% approval rating in the early days of the pandemic.
However, Cuomo faced criticism in March of 2020 when he mandated that nursing homes could not turn away patients who were infected with Covid-19. While the order was rescinded, its consequences lived on: more than 9,000 recovering Covid-19 patients were released into New York nursing homes, and the death toll of Covid-related deaths in these facilities surpassed 15,000. A 2021 report by New York Attorney General Letitia James revealed that a larger number of patients died in state nursing homes from Covid-19 than previously reported and uncovered the likelihood that the Cuomo administration understated this death toll by as much as 50%.
In the September House hearing, the committee argued that Cuomo underreported the number of nursing home deaths and that he condoned an unscientific report that concluded that his administration's March 25 order had minimal impact on nursing home fatalities. The Republican-led committee went further in suggesting that not only did Cuomo have knowledge of this false report, but he also played a role in producing parts of its early drafts.
Cuomo denied any speculation that he had directed his staff to falsify the number of fatalities. "No. We said these are the deaths without the 'out of facility' death numbers, which we will add when they're accurate, which will reduce the hospital death number, but the total number of deaths stays the same. It was an allocation question," Cuomo said.
The former governor also shifted blame to former President Trump, referencing a republican governor in saying “the general was missing in action, leaving states in a bidding war for PPE. It was the COVID 'Hunger Games,'” in what was likely a nod to Governor Ron Desantis’s comments back in 2023.
Regardless, New York families are still demanding accountability. In a hostile exchange with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Stefanik pressed, “There are families sitting here. I want you to turn around right now and apologize to them, which you have failed to do."
A more recent report from Cuomo’s successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul, states that while the policies regarding Covid-19 in nursing homes were “rushed and uncoordinated,” they were based on the current understanding of the virus at that time.
Regardless, the testimony on both sides falls short of what many New Yorkers truly need—accountability. Instead of shifting blame, what’s needed now is transparency, especially in a time where such controversy plagues governments within the state. The families of the deceased deserve more than just political theater; they deserve answers, apologies, and meaningful reforms to ensure that something like this never happens again.
Justin Higgins is a staff writer from Albany, New York. He is a first year in the College majoring in Government and minoring in Journalism.