Capitol News

The ranking member of a U.S. House committee studying the country’s response to COVID says Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer sent thousands of infected elderly back into nursing homes and is now trying to hide data on nursing home deaths.

The federal government warned Whitmer in early March  “to avoid discharging COVID-positive patients back to a nursing home that is unable to properly treat and quarantine them,” Scalise said, but she ignored it and “issued (a) lethal ‘must admit’ order mandating nursing homes accept possibly contagious and untested residents discharged from a hospital.”

“Fearing legal repercussions, nursing homes followed these orders and these orders resulted in thousands of preventable deaths,” Scalise said.

Scalise’s U.S. House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis is examining how the nursing home “must admit” orders issued by five governors-- including Whitmer, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, and Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania-- played a role.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), nursing home residents make up 42 percent of COVID deaths nationally.

In Michigan, COVID nursing home deaths have become something of a moving target.

“Michigan reported 2,297 nursing home fatalities on June 13, but on June 14 only reported 1,967,”  Scalise (R-La.) said. “Somehow 330 fatalities vanished overnight.” 

Whitmer is now reporting only 1,726 nursing home deaths to the CDC, or 571 fewer than she reported on June 13.

The state estimates 6,005 have died from COVID.

“Anyone paying attention knows that five states failed their nursing home patients,” said U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.). “Once again, the grieving families affected by these orders still deserve answers, and no amount of desperate blame-shifting will stop us from getting them.”