Congressman Ritchie Torres to Fed + State Inspectors General: Investigate Gov. Hochul’s Use of CDPAP

On Tuesday AM, Rep. Torres holds press conference outside City Hall calling for action

On Monday, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) wrote to Lucy Lang, Inspector General of New York, and Christi Grimm, Inspector General of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The letter reads as follows (full PDF here):

“I am writing to call upon the federal and state Inspector Generals to investigate alleged attempts by the Hochul Administration to put the $9 billion CDPAP program in the hands of a single out- of-state vendor with a questionable track record and to do so under false pretenses. There may be something rotten in the state of New York under Governor Kathy Hochul. Just ask Carlos Martinez, the CEO of BRIDGES, whose sworn affidavit accuses the Hochul Administration of putting its thumb on the scale in favor of a single contractor known as Public Partnerships LLC (PPL). During a Zoom meeting with the Chief Disability Officer (CDP) in April 2024, Mr. Martinez heard a CDO official openly admit that the State had selected PPL to be the statewide Fiscal Intermediary (FI) long before initiating a competitive bidding process. The revelation of a rigged process had Mr. Martinez recoiling in shock. According to the sworn affidavit, the Hochul Administration had all but chosen PPL to be the statewide FI for CDPAP long before issuing an RFP, soliciting multiple bids, and awarding the contract on the basis of ‘best value.’ The pre-selection of PPL was the worst kept secret in Albany, and the bidding process that arose afterwards has since been exposed as a dog-and-pony show with a predetermined outcome. The designation of PPL as the sole FI appears to be the fruit of a poisonous tree—the product of a Potemkin procurement process. The Hochul Administration appears to have rigged the process in more ways than one. Not only did it preselect and privilege PPL, the Hochul Administration exempted the award of the contract to PPL from review by the New York State Comptroller. The State of New York is contracting with PPL to be the single FI for a $9 billion program. Blocking the Comptroller from reviewing a contract that implicates billions of dollars in taxpayer money—as the Hochul Administration has done so shamelessly, suspiciously, and surreptitiously—is evidence of a broken system. The obstruction of an independent audit is a sign that the Hochul Administration might have something to hide. Governor Hochul’s multi-billion dollar boondoggle merits an independent investigation. The Inspector General may be the only hope for bringing transparency and accountability to a high- stakes process that has neither but needs both. I thank you for your consideration.”

On Tuesday morning, Rep. Torres held a press conference outside of New York City Hall on this matter. He was joined by a coalition of homecare advocates from FreedomCare. Photos and video from this conference can be viewed below.