SELF DEFENSE

AOC Calls for ‘Full Investigation’ of Cuomo Nursing Home Scandal

Nia Prater 22 hrs ago

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is joining her fellow New York Democrats in calling for an investigation into how Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration handled the COVID-19 crisis in nursing homes.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, Ocasio-Cortez said, “Thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers lost their lives in nursing homes throughout the pandemic. Their loved ones and the public deserve answers and transparency from their elected leadership, and the Secretary to the Governor’s remarks warrant a full investigation.”

In recent days, Cuomo has been under fire following reports that his administration undercounted nursing home deaths from COVID-19. Criticism escalated after it was revealed that Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, told Democratic lawmakers the administration didn’t promptly revise the numbers out of concerns about a potential investigation by the Trump-led Department of Justice.

In light of the controversy, Democrats in the state legislature are discussing the possibility of stripping Cuomo of his emergency powers, which grant him unilateral control over the state’s response to the pandemic.

State Senator Gustavo Rivera told the New York Times that the legislature needs to act, “hopefully sooner than later.” “We need to remind them that state government is not one big branch: There’s three of them,” added Rivera, the Democratic chairman of the health committee.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/aoc-calls-for-e2-80-98full-investigation-e2-80-99-of-cuomo-nursing-home-scandal/ar-BB1dQmq1