Congresswoman Tenney Slams Disgraced Former Gov. Cuomo After NYS Comptroller Report on COVID Nursing Home Deaths

Statement

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) today released the following statement after New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a report yesterday showing that the Cuomo Administration misled the public by undercounting COVID-19-related deaths in nursing homes over the course of the pandemic.

The Comptroller's report found that, "…the Department [of Health] understated the number of deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%," which translated to roughly 4,100 lives lost. The report also highlighted that the State Department of Health, which the Governor and his office frequently interfered with, "changed its basis for the public reporting of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes, with virtually no explanation publicly as to why it changed." Lastly, the Comptroller's report found that the Cuomo Administration's underinvestment in public health, "…may have limited the Department's ability to prepare and respond in the most effective way."

"Comptroller DiNapoli's report on COVID-19-related deaths in nursing homes under disgraced former Governor Cuomo's Administration is deeply troubling and further proves that Andrew Cuomo's policies endangered seniors, and that he lied to cover them up. Once again, this underscores the reality that Andrew Cuomo disregarded the basic health and safety of New York's most vulnerable citizens in service of his narrow political aims," said Tenney.

"In the early days of the pandemic, when the dangers posed to seniors by COVID were already becoming obvious, Cuomo sent COVID-positive patients into nursing homes, risking the lives of those at greatest risk of serious infection," Tenney continued. "Instead of owning up to his mistakes, the former Governor engaged in a massive coverup, all the while he shopped around for a book deal on his self-proclaimed leadership and took home an Emmy.

"As the facts continue to come out, the need for accountability is growing by the day. Who in the Cuomo Administration has been held accountable for these negligent and deadly policies as well as the subsequent coverup? The sad reality is that nobody has to date. Those who lost loved ones deserve justice. I will continue fighting until those responsible are held accountable," Tenney concluded.

Tenney is the lead sponsor of the Essential Caregivers Act, a bill designed to ensure that those living in nursing homes and long-term care facilities are never again barred from seeing their loved ones in the midst of any future public health emergency. The bill is cosponsored by 30 lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, and is supported by numerous outside advocacy organizations. Tenney was the first to call for a federal investigation into this serious matter in April 2020. She reiterated this call again in May 2020 after a troubling report by the AP revealed nursing home deaths were being underreported in New York.

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