As Cuomo Testifies, Pennacchio says NJ COVID-19 Response Was Worse

September 10, 2024

Disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo testified to Congress about New York’s COVID-19 response.

Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) criticized the Murphy administration for mirroring New York’s policy decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic as former Governor Andrew Cuomo testified before Congress today, facing scrutiny for his administration’s failures. The Congressional Subcommittee released a 48-page memo outlining the reported failures of the former governor.

“The nexus between Governor Murphy’s COVID-19 response and former Governor Cuomo’s response is undeniable because they are nearly identical,” said Sen. Pennacchio. “After two scathing reports on COVID-19 polices from the U.S. Department of Justice and the State’s Commission on Investigations, it’s time Governor Murphy faces the same scrutiny as the disgraced former governor of New York. As bad as New York was during the pandemic, New Jersey’s response was worse.”

In 2020, Senator Pennacchio obtained copies of memoranda sent to long-term facilities in New York and New Jersey. Both correspondences admonished facilities to take infected COVID-19 patients; however, New Jersey went as far as prohibiting nursing facilities from testing new patients.

Adding to this blunder, the Murphy administration wasted $9 million on a report that ultimately raised more questions than answers across 900 pages of content. In March, Senator Pennacchio released an in-depth analysis of the report, questioning the alarming disparity between the 9,000 nursing home deaths reported by the State and Montgomery McCracken’s claim of over 16,000 deaths.

“The revelations outlined in the Montgomery McCracken report were nothing short of a tragedy for our veterans and nursing home residents,” Sen. Pennacchio stated. “Rather than delivering the transparency and accountability that families deserve, we were handed a bloated, overpriced report that fails to provide any real answers. The discrepancy in death tolls alone warrant an investigation and the Murphy administration must be held accountable.”

In September 2023, President Biden’s Department of Justice found that veterans’ constitutional rights were violated at state-run nursing homes during the pandemic. Additionally, the State’s Commission on Investigations revealed that residents at two New Jersey veterans’ homes received insufficient care.

These two reports reignited Senator Pennacchio’s call to hold legislative hearings to investigate Governor Murphy’s disastrous policies, which were in lockstep with those of former Governor Cuomo.

“The Murphy administration followed New York’s lead by prioritizing prisoners while forcing infected patients back into nursing and veterans’ homes, despite being warned by health care professionals that the communicable disease would kill readmitted patients in confined spaces — and it did,” Sen. Pennacchio continued. “These actions were nothing short of a tragedy for our veterans and nursing home residents.”

Senate Republicans frequently called for legislative oversight during the pandemic and have continued to push for hearings to hold the Murphy administration accountable for failing seniors in nursing homes and veterans’ homes. However, Democrats have blocked any efforts to take action, except to name a building after a former health commissioner.