If We Want the Truth, the Senate MUST Subpoena

We’re all shocked by the Attorney General’s report on the Governor and Department of Health deliberately undercounting the amount of deaths in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic by as much as 50 percent. In addition, the Governor and DOH also left nursing homes understaffed and undersupplied with PPE, leading to a tragedy that claimed the lives of 13,000 of our state’s seniors. It’s clear that this disaster is a result of the Governor’s Executive Order that forced COVID-positive seniors back into nursing homes, where unequipped staff and vulnerable seniors were exposed to this awful virus.

New Yorkers must have answers. They must have accountability. They must have the truth.

The only way that can happen is if the Senate uses its full powers and conducts a real investigation. That means using its power of subpoena to gather evidence and call state officials to testify under oath.

As the Senate Health Committee prepares to meet in the coming weeks, Senate Democrats are trying to dodge this shocking failure of leadership. It’s inexplicable, but when given the opportunity to assert itself and use constitutionally granted powers, Senate Democrats are staying silent.

Today, my Senate Republican colleagues and I held a press conference calling on the Senate to use these abilities and hold the Governor and Department of Health accountable for the decisions and cover-ups that have cost lives and put families in anguish.

This cannot wait. For the sake of our deceased seniors, their loved ones and the nursing home staff that have worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic, we must have a full investigation.

I will not stop fighting to make that happen.