Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s actions that resulted in the deaths of thousands of New Yorkers were laid bare by a special Congressional committee that demanded he apologize to all of the families who lost loved ones during the COVID crisis.
“Mr. Cuomo and his team were involved in the decision to issue New York’s disastrous March 25 Directive, and then, acted repeatedly to downplay the tragic aftermath of their decision,” the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic said in a 48-page report. Its members on both sides of the political aisle denounced the scandal-plagued Democrat for his “lack of empathy and callous remarks related to undercounted mortality rates in nursing homes.”
As the COVID-19 virus began sweeping across the state, Cuomo acquiesced to the request of his largest political donor, the hospital industry, and issued the March 2020 “must-admit” order allowing them to move infected patients to nursing homes. Families not allowed to see their elderly loved ones were horrified when they began dying in great numbers.
“My father went in for rehab after a minor procedure and called us to say, ‘Get me out of here,’” said Tracy Alvino, whose father, Daniel Alvino, soon contracted COVID and died. “He said people were coughing all over the place, ambulances were coming and going. He told us that if we didn’t get him out of there, he was going to die. Governor Cuomo must be held accountable for this,” said Alvino, who traveled from Long Island to witness his appearance before Congress.
Cuomo took to the airwaves daily to garner praise for his “leadership” during the crisis, and when he was finally held to account before Congress, attempted to shift the blame to President Trump. None of what the committee concluded was mentioned in his book, which earned him a $5.1 million advance and criticism that he used his government staff to write it. He eventually resigned from office after a spate of sexual misconduct allegations.
“After months of inquiry and investigation, we now know irrefutably what New Yorkers have known for years, that Governor Cuomo himself and his most senior aides ordered, directed, and executed this deadly executive order counter to CMS and CDC guidance,” said Committee Member Elise Stefanik, a Republican from upstate New York. “Our investigation also reveals a bipartisan investigation that the disgraced the former governor, and his top aides were caught covering up their culpability and guilt to selfishly save their shredded reputations.”
According to the Select Committee, it was well understood early in the pandemic that COVID-19 did not harm all people equally. “Age and comorbidities were the most important risk factors for predicting hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Accordingly, it was critically important that public health policy prioritize high-risk populations to reduce their risk of infection.”
This fact was known by Cuomo, who was aware of the deaths occurring in the State of Washington—the early epicenter of the virus—as a result of COVID-19 in nursing homes, the committee continued. On March 10, 2020, in response to a question on COVID's threat to nursing homes, he stated that coronavirus in nursing homes was a “nightmare” scenario.
“That’s my nightmare, and that’s where you’re going to see the pain and the damage from this virus,” Cuomo said. “Days later, Mr. Cuomo allegedly told Mr. Jared Kushner—who helped lead the early White House response—that for nursing homes, this could be like fire through dry grass.”
Nonetheless, on March 25, 2020, the Cuomo Administration issued a directive entitled “Hospital Discharges and Admissions to Nursing Homes,” giving administrators the green light to send their COVID patients to nursing homes and other care facilities such as the one where Daniel Alvino died.
Grilled by the committee, Cuomo conceded that he never talked to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) about the science behind his must-admit order either before or after issuing it, the committee reported.
Battling back, Cuomo issued a statement calling the report “sloppy” and said the investigation, conducted by a Republican-led panel, was “all smoke and mirrors designed to continue to distract from Trump’s failed pandemic leadership.”