“It's your fault”: Stefanik demands an apology from Cuomo in heated exchange for COVID deaths in nursing homes

Lawmakers questioned former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo about his handling of controversial nursing home policies during the COVID era and demanded that he apologize to families who lost loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cuomo testified Tuesday before the House select committee investigating the coronavirus about the deaths of elderly people after patients were admitted to nursing homes without COVID-19 tests.

On March 25, 2020, the New York State Department of Health, under Cuomo's leadership, issued an advisory stating that nursing homes were “prohibited from requiring a hospital resident who has been deemed medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission.”

Cuomo claimed during the hearing that it was ultimately up to nursing homes to decide whether they could care for patients. But lawmakers countered that the recommendation prevented nursing homes from turning away patients who tested positive for COVID.

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WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 10: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo arrives to testify before the Special Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on September 10, 2024. (Kent Nishimura)

“After months of investigation and investigation, we now know irrefutably what New Yorkers have known for years: Governor Cuomo himself and his highest-ranking aides ordered, directed and executed this deadly executive order contrary to CMS and CDC guidelines,” said Rep. Elise Stefanik, RN.Y.

“You are responsible for this,” Stefanik told the former governor. “There are families sitting here. I want you to turn around, look them in the eye and apologize for what you didn't do. How do you do that?”

The former governor of New York also testified during the hearing that he had not spoken to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before or after issuing the alert.

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“And they never called me afterward. You would think if they had a problem with the order they would have called, if it was so egregious you didn't even call.” Cuomo told the committee that the order was “completely consistent with federal guidelines.”

Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York questioned Cuomo extensively during the hearing. (Haiyun Jiang/Bloomberg)

Cuomo was held responsible for Thousands of COVID-related deaths This happened in nursing homes. According to a 2023 report from the New York State Department of Health, the number is 826 in Suffolk County, 813 in Erie County – which includes Buffalo – and 623 in Queens County.

The former governor pointed the blame at former President Donald Trump during the hearing, saying the investigation was part of “an old diversionary tactic to blame New York and other states for the federal government's response, which was malfeasance.”

Republican committee members sharply criticized Cuomo for shifting blame in the matter.

“I was hoping we would see a Governor Cuomo who was less defensive and who showed remorse for what happened in New York. But I see that person did not show up today,” said Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa.

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 10: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is sworn in to testify before the Special Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on September 10, 2024. (Kent Nishimura)

In conclusion, Chairman Wenstrup added that he was “deeply skeptical about the transfer of responsibility to others, which we have seen not only here but also publicly.”

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“It seems as if you, Mr. Governor, are not looking at yourself. I am sorry about that. No self-criticism about what could have been done better and improved. You only blame others,” said Wenstrup.

Fox News' Charles Creitz contributed to this report.