"The Committee on Oversight and Reform must examine the link between New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s March 25, 2020, ‘must-admit’ order and nursing home fatalities, the extent of his cover-up, and if any crimes were committed in the process. The Committee must hear the truth, under oath, directly from Governor Cuomo," the letter signed by 20 committee Republicans said on Wednesday.
Cuomo's order in late March required nursing homes to admit COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals, while prohibiting nursing homes from testing patients before entry to determine if they remained contagious.
Last month, a report by the state attorney general put the nursing home COVID-19 death toll at 13,500 deaths, up from the official 8,500 toll. Subsequent media reports now place the actual toll at about 15,000.
The letter recounts an admission by a top Cuomo aide earlier this month that New York State intentionally withheld to true toll, believing the discrepancy could be used by opponents to target the governor’s administration.
Subsent media accounts then reported that the US Justice Department had launched an investigation of the scandal.
Cuomo, a Democrat, has continued to reject the allegations, even as members of his own party have called for an investigation.
