Senator Lanza Calls On NY Congressional Delegation: Ensure CDC Reevaluates COVID-19 Regulations

We continue to face shortages in the fields that are critical to our residents’ well-being, including our law enforcement, firefighters, teachers and healthcare workers. We are sure we can all agree that we must do everything we can to advocate for these essential workers. - Deputy Leader Andrew Lanza

Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt, Deputy Leader Andrew Lanza, and members of the Senate Republican Conference today sent a letter urging the New York Congressional Delegation to ensure the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) takes action and reevaluates its executive agency regulations relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter stresses the need and importance to reevaluate the regulations that established COVID-19 vaccination requirements for staff at Medicare- and Medicaid-certified providers and suppliers.

“We have seen and heard firsthand how the healthcare workforce shortage is substantially affecting patient care, increasing healthcare costs and jeopardizing New York’s healthcare infrastructure. Governor Hochul first declared a Statewide Disaster Emergency due to Healthcare Staffing Shortages on September 27, 2021 and continues to extend it to date. Even with final acknowledgement of this crisis, the state and federal governments continued implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on healthcare personnel,” wrote the Senators.

Over the past three years, there has been great strain on the state economy and workforce. Dedicated healthcare workers unjustly lost their livelihoods after giving so much throughout the pandemic, and the vaccination requirement only made the state of emergency worse in New York. Reevaluating mandates such as these, given the new CDC guidelines and the Director’s admission of mistakes, is crucial as we move out of the pandemic and glean wisdom from this horrendous experience. 

“Throughout the entirety of the pandemic, our healthcare workers served on the frontlines everyday to help those in need. Now, we are asking for the New York Congressional to partner with us, on a federal level, in advocating for our displaced healthcare workers. The NYS Senate Republican Conference will continue to push for the reevaluation of the vaccination mandates here in New York. We must not allow ineffective decisions made at the height of the pandemic to continue to negatively affect our healthcare sector,” concluded the Senators.

Senate Republican Leader Ortt, Deputy Leader Lanza and the entire Republican Conference continue to lead the charge to repeal the arbitrary and capricious pandemic rules mandated by two consecutive Governors and One Party Rule in Albany. Most recently, Leader Ortt was successful in urging the Governor to align New York with CDC guidance by lifting harmful COVID-era mandates in schools.

Senate Republicans will continue to call for ending the Governor’s emergency powers, ending the state emergency itself, and restoring legislative checks and balances to the State Capitol.