Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - 3/7/2025… Yesterday, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17), alongside Representatives Nick LaLota (NY-01), Andrew Garbarino (NY-02), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Claudia Tenney (NY-22), and Nick Langworthy (NY-23), sent a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) demanding a written determination on whether then Governor Andrew Cuomo’s March 25, 2020 nursing home directive complied with federal guidelines. The directive, which forced nursing homes to accept COVID-positive patients, is linked to over 15,000 deaths during the early pandemic.

“Five years ago, over 15,000 vulnerable New Yorkers died in nursing homes because of a reckless directive that forced COVID-positive patients into ill-prepared nursing home facilities after kicking them out of hospitals,” said Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17). “Today, alongside my colleagues, I’m demanding the CDC and CMS tell us the truth: Did Cuomo’s order follow federal guidelines, or did he defy them? Families of our constituents deserve answers, not excuses.

Congressman Lawler continued, “This isn’t about politics – it’s about accountability for a policy that led to death. We won’t stop until the facts are on the table.”  

Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties.

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The full letter can be found HERE.