ICYMI: State Senator Joe Pennacchio Renewed His Call For A Bipartisan Select Committee With Subpoena Power To Review The Murphy Administration’s Pandemic Response Efforts

Joe Pennacchio

Joe Pennacchio

On Sunday we received a press release from state Senator Joe Pennacchio after what he called a “bombshell news report” appeared on NJ.com. In the release Pennacchio renewed his call for “a select committee with subpoena power to compel Governor Murphy’s team to testify under oath since they won’t voluntarily appear before the Legislature to answer important questions.”

According to a report by New Jersey Globe, “As of Monday morning, there were 7,950 deaths among long-term care residents and staff, about 37% of the state’s confirmed virus death.”

With numbers like that and the fact that we now know officials were told “Patients will die” it’s time for Pennacchio to get his bipartisan select committee. Governor Murphy and his team need to answer questions.

My first career was in EMS, I still have many friends who work in health care. I have family working in health care, one of my sisters has a bunch of letters after her name and is kind of a big deal at a long-term care facility, my other sister works in health care and the mother of my granddaughter is a health care professional. Like Pennacchio, I want answers! New Jersey deserves answers!

Senator Pennacchio’s Sunday press release follows:

Nursing home administrator told Health Commissioner on recorded call: “Patients will die”

Senator Joe Pennacchio said a bombshell news report proves without a doubt that the Murphy administration was warned by nursing home administrators last year that an order forcing them to accept COVID-positive patients would result in outbreaks and deaths in their facilities.

According to the story by Susan K. Livio and Ted Sherman on NJ.com, nursing home administrators participated in a March 31, 2020 conference call with New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli where they expressed their dire concerns about a new directive forcing their facilities to accept patients from hospitals and prohibiting those patients for being tested for COVID-19 prior to admission.

“Nursing home administrators were crystal clear when they told Commissioner Persichilli they couldn’t safely admit COVID-19 patients without putting their other residents at risk,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “They said COVID would spread through their facilities and people would die as a result of the dangerous order. Tragically, the Murphy administration ignored their prescient warnings and thousands of people died.”

According to NJ.com, one administrator told Persichilli and Health Department officials on the recorded call, “Patients will die. You understand that by asking us to take COVID patients, by demanding we take COVID patients, that patients will die in nursing homes that wouldn’t have otherwise died had we screened them out.”

Another, doubting the commissioner’s suggestion that COVID patients and caregivers could be effectively cohorted in separate units, told her, “You have asked us to separate safely and create our own wing and take in COVID-19’s from the hospital. The problem, of course, is there is no separating safely. It’s almost certain that even though you have staff only on that unit, something will migrate.”

Pennacchio chaired an independent hearing last week on the impact of the Murphy administration’s policies and directives on nursing homes, veterans homes, and long-term care facilities.

Commissioner Persichilli and other members of the administration declined an invitation to attend the March 5 hearing or to answer the questions of legislators and family members.

“We need a select committee with subpoena power to compel Governor Murphy’s team to testify under oath since they won’t voluntarily appear before the Legislature to answer important questions,” added Pennacchio. “Families who lost loved ones deserve to know why the Murphy administration ignored all of the warnings. How much more evidence will Trenton Democrats need before they stop blocking this important investigation?”

Senate Democrats have repeatedly blocked Pennacchio efforts to advance SR-68, a resolution creating a bipartisan select committee with subpoena power to review the Murphy Administration’s pandemic response efforts. Motions by Pennacchio to bring the resolution up for a vote were blocked by the Democratic majority on three separate occasions.

MEDIA ADVISORY: TOMORROW (3/5): Independent Hearing to Examine Murphy Administration’s Handling of Nursing & Veterans Homes, LTC Facilities During Pandemic

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Senate and Assembly Republicans will livestream an independent hearing tomorrow to review Murphy administration policies that led to nearly 8,000 deaths and substantial hardship in New Jersey’s nursing homes, veterans homes, and long-term care (LTC) facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Senate and Assembly Republicans will livestream an independent hearing on Friday, March 5 to review Murphy administration policies related to nursing homes, veterans homes, and LTC facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. (FB Live event page)

The legislators will hear from family members of residents and caregivers who have been impacted by the crisis along with advocates and experts.

WHO: Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26), Senator Kristin Corrado (R-40), Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13), Senator Michael Testa (R-1), Senator Steven Oroho (R-24), Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (R-26), Assemblyman Christopher D. DePhillips (R-40), and invited guests.

WHAT: Virtual hearing to review Murphy administration policies related to nursing homes, veterans homes, and LTC facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

WHEN: TOMORROW, Friday, March 5 at 10 a.m.

WHERE: A video livestream of the hearing will be accessible to the public and press via Facebook Live. Click here for the event page.

The meeting tomorrow is the first in a series of independent hearings that will be held to understand the policy and management failures of the Murphy Administration that led to preventable deaths, destroyed businesses and jobs, and left millions of New Jerseyans without access to important services and support.

Does Science And Data Suggest COVID-19 Is Easier To Catch At Night?

Phil Murphy

Phil Murphy

By now you are probably aware Governor Phil Murphy has decided that “New Jersey bars and restaurants will soon need to close all indoor service by 10 p.m.” You will still be able to dine outdoors and get takeout or delivery.

I’m not a doctor or a nurse, neither is Murphy. Thanks to my limited medical training, I know the only way I can learn anything about viruses is to read, something the Governor should do. By reading I learned “the body clock plays a part in controlling the spread of a virus.” In other words, unless you are a mouse that took part in a University of Cambridge study on viruses (mentioned here), your internal body clock has a whole lot more to do with the spread of a virus than the clock on the wall.

Governor Murphy has on more than one occasion said that he is making his decisions based on science and data.

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“We’re guided by science. Not politics. We’re guided by data. Not protests.”

Where is the science or the data to explain why Murphy is closing bars and restaurants between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.? Just like his reasoning for screwing up the election the only science he relies on is political science.

Murphy just keeps making decision after decision with almost no pushback because the legislature is controlled by his fellow Democrats. State Senator Joe Pennacchio and state Senator Michael Testa are the biggest voices of dissent in the legislature. They need help.

Help is where we all come in. 2021 isn’t just a gubernatorial year but also every Assembly and state Senate seat is up.

Get behind your local candidates for the Assembly and state Senate – get out from behind your keyboards and knock on doors or go to the phone banks. If for some irrational reason you are afraid of COVID-19 you can phone bank from home using the state GOP’s app. Your phone number will not appear on caller ID. No excuses. Do something. Winning seats in the Assembly and state Senate is the first step to fix our state.

We have two announced candidates for Governor – former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and former beauty pageant winner Hirsh Singh. Others will likely get in. Support who you want in the primary but if your candidate loses the primary don’t whine and cry and throw a hissy fit (that’s Hirsh Singh’s job) – do the right thing and get behind the winner because the ultimate goal is to get rid of Murphy. Don’t stay home and not vote because you don’t think the winner of the primary is Republican enough, even my dog would be better than Murphy.

We have a lot of work to do in 2021 and we better get started.