White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday dodged a question about whether President Biden has confidence in New York Governor Andrew Cuomo amid controversy over underreporting deaths in nursing homes COVID-19 in the state.
Psaki was asked if the president trusted Cuomo after Biden hosted a group of bipartisan governors and mayors at the White House on Friday to discuss efforts to respond to the coronavirus.
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“The president received Governor Cuomo and a bipartisan group of governors and mayors today to get their perspectives from the front lines – not to give anyone a seal of approval or to get their seal of approval, and to discuss the urgency of passing the American Rescue plan, “said Psaki, adding that the president” is committed to partnering with governors and mayors “.
“Governor Cuomo is the governor of one of the largest states in the country – one of the places where the pandemic hit the hardest, the earliest,” said Psaki. “There are still many Americans struggling to get vaccinated and survive, so it was important to have him as part of the meeting.”
Biden, in the past, praised Cuomo’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in New York, saying last year that the governor’s daily instructions were “a leadership lesson” and praising him for doing “an incredible job”.
At the Tonight Show last April, Biden said that Cuomo was “a kind of gold standard”.
Psaki’s comments come at the time when Cuomo is being investigated for dealing with the pandemic.
Last month, New York Attorney General Letitia James said COVID-19 deaths in the state’s nursing home were underestimated by up to 50%. And things got worse on Thursday after a report that an adviser to Cuomo told the state’s top Democratic lawmakers that the government had concealed data on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes to avoid federal scrutiny.
But last year, Cuomo advised nursing homes in the state to accept patients who had or were suspected of having COVID-19. The decision created a violent attack on COVID-19 cases that infected thousands of elderly patients and resulted in hundreds of deaths among the state’s most vulnerable population.
James said a new report revealed that on January 27, 2021, there were 5,597 confirmed deaths due to COVID-19 in nursing homes and an additional 2,783 presumed deaths. In assisted care centers, 160 deaths and 52 presumed deaths occurred.
James’ report said that government guidance requiring admission of patients with COVID-19 to nursing homes may have placed residents at greater risk of damage to some facilities and may have obscured the data available to assess that risk.
Cuomo, responding to questions from reporters last month after the report on deaths in nursing homes was released, defended himself and said: “Everyone did the best they could”.
At the news conference, Cuomo said the state followed federal guidelines. “If you think there was a mistake, go and talk to the federal government,” he said. “This is not about pointing fingers or blaming, it has become political football.”
Cuomo defended the nursing home policy in line with the Trump administration’s guidelines at the time.
James’ report said that government guidance requiring admission of patients with COVID-19 to nursing homes may have placed residents at greater risk of damage to some facilities and may have obscured the data available to assess that risk.
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has asked 62 nursing homes for data on deaths on their premises.
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The report, which revealed the findings of an investigation into allegations of patient negligence and other “conduct” that endangered the health and safety of patients and staff, said that some facilities did not comply with health protocols to prevent the spread of the disease. virus.
Nursing homes that had low ratings from the US Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services Personnel had higher COVID-19 mortality rates.
In addition, the lack of sufficient personal protective equipment for the team, as well as the low availability of tests, could also have increased the patients’ risk of contracting the virus, the report said.
About 70% of the nearly 35,000 deaths from COVID in New York were people aged 70 or older, according to state data for January 28.
Investigations in more than 20 nursing homes whose conduct reported during the first wave of the pandemic of particular concern are still ongoing, added James.
“As the pandemic and our investigations continue, it is imperative that we understand why nursing home residents in New York have suffered unnecessarily at such an alarming rate,” said James in a statement. “While we cannot bring back the individuals we lost in this crisis, this report seeks to provide the transparency that the public deserves and to encourage increased action to protect our most vulnerable residents.”
Meanwhile, Psaki was asked last month whether the White House would support a federal investigation into the matter.
“Any investigation would be conducted by the Department of Justice,” said Psaki.
In a coup in the Trump administration, Psaki, during his press conference, added: “We are in a new era where they are independent and will determine what steps they will take in the future.”
Fox News’s Peter Doocy and The Associated Press contributed to this report.