Stefanik urges CDC to fire former Cuomo official who oversaw COVID-19 nursing home scandal
Misty Severi
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House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday to fire a former New York State health commissioner who oversaw the state’s deadly COVID-19 nursing home policy.
Howard Zucker, who currently works as the CDC’s deputy director for global health, previously worked as the state health commissioner for former New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the pandemic, but he was forced to resign amid accusations that the administration lied about how many seniors died in nursing homes from COVID-19.
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“Disgraced, corrupt Cuomo’s health director Howard Zucker is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of New York seniors,” Stefanik told Fox News.
“I call on Biden’s CDC to immediately fire Howard Zucker. I will continue fighting to deliver accountability to the New York families who tragically lost loved ones because of Cuomo and Zucker,” she added.
Zucker began his post at the CDC in January 2023, approximately a year and a half after his resignation in New York. During the height of the pandemic, Zucker implemented a policy that saw seniors in nursing homes across the state return to those homes after being hospitalized and treated for COVID-19.
Critics have claimed the policy led to the surge in cases, something Cuomo and his team have denied. But a report from state Attorney General Letitia James revealed the administration lied about how many COVID-19-related nursing home deaths there were, downplaying the real numbers by the thousands.
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Other House Republicans from New York have also called for Zucker’s termination and an explanation of how he was hired after the nursing home scandal in the first place.
“Howard Zucker’s reckless, cruel, and inhumane decision-making during the pandemic caused the death of thousands of New Yorkers in nursing homes,” Rep. Nick Lalota (R-NY) said. “Zucker should be in a courtroom answering for his actions, not employed by the CDC where he can cause more harm. President Biden should give an ounce of justice to New York families and protect all Americans and fire him immediately.”