Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is set to testify before a House committee next week in an investigation into his administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic will question Cuomo on September 10th about the controversial mandate that forced infected patients into nursing homes, leading to the deaths of thousands of senior citizens.

The Subcommittee, led by Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), believes that Cuomo owes answers to the 15,000 families who lost loved ones in New York's nursing homes during the pandemic. In a closed-door transcribed interview with Cuomo conducted in June, he was described as "shockingly callous" by members of the subcommittee. The lawmakers expressed their impressions after pressing the former governor for seven hours regarding the March 25, 2020, order that required COVID-positive patients to be placed in senior care facilities statewide.

Lawmakers were disappointed with Cuomo's lack of remorse and felt that he remained committed to the narrative presented in his published book, which depicted his leadership in a positive light. Despite acknowledging that a member of his staff drafted the order, Cuomo shifted blame to the federal government for providing the original guidance. He claimed that if he had known then what he knows now, he would not have followed the federal government's advice.

However, lawmakers pointed out that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) did not mandate anything, unlike New York's order. In a May 2023 hearing, Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) labeled the New York directive as "medical malpractice." Independent reports from the New York Bar Association and Empire Center for Public Policy in 2021 concluded that the nursing home mandate led to additional deaths.

Further investigations discovered that Cuomo's administration had undercounted COVID-19 fatalities in nursing homes by an average of 56%. New York Attorney General Letitia James' office confirmed this, leading to a revised COVID death count of 12,743, significantly higher than the previously reported 8,711. Cuomo's top aide, Melissa DeRosa, admitted privately to Democratic state lawmakers that they withheld data to avoid a probe from the Justice Department.

In June 2024, The Olson Group, a consulting firm, released a report stating that Cuomo made a significant mistake by ignoring established health department protocols and taking authority away from local communities. It was revealed that Cuomo's health department had "misled the public" by leaving out at least 4,100 nursing home deaths due to COVID-19.

With over 84,000 New Yorkers losing their lives to COVID-19, the upcoming public hearing is seen as an opportunity for Cuomo to take responsibility for his actions and address the American people honestly. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hopes that Cuomo will cease evading accountability and provide truthful answers.

Cuomo's spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, criticized the COVID subcommittee, calling their actions "false political attacks." Azzopardi argued that New York was following guidance from the CDC and CMS, which other states, both Democratic and Republican, also adhered to.

The upcoming testimony by Cuomo before the House committee on the controversial nursing home mandate is expected to shed further light on the decisions made during the COVID-19 pandemic, holding the former governor accountable for his actions during a critical period in New York's fight against the virus.