The House subcommittee tasked with investigating the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday subpoenaed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in relation to his administration’s handling of nursing homes during the pandemic, according to documents first obtained by ABC News.
Specifically, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic is seeking to question Cuomo about one of his administration’s most controversial COVID-era directives: instructing nursing homes to admit recovering COVID-positive patients from hospitals, a move that has faced criticism that it led to increased deaths in nursing homes.
The subpoena and letter from the Republican-led subcommittee is the latest development for the former New York governor, who has faced intense scrutiny into his administration’s handling of nursing homes during the pandemic.
In 2021, ABC News reported that federal prosecutors in Brooklyn were investigating Cuomo’s coronavirus task force with a focus on nursing homes. No charges were brought.
The subpoena was signed by Republican Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the Oversight Committee, which authorizes the subcommittee to issue subpoenas. It requests a May 24 deposition in Washington.
Cuomo, who was at one point heralded for his leadership during the pandemic and became known for his daily briefings, has defended the March 2020 directive, which he reversed weeks later. He said it was based squarely on federal guidelines and accused those investigating the issue of “playing politics.”
