| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Scott Waters | scott.waters@mail.house.gov | (845) 721-9247 Caroline Hunt | caroline.hunt3@mail.house.gov | (225) 244-1086 Washington, D.C. – 6/16/26… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) released the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration: “This is a damning indictment of the cronyism and incompetence that have defined Governor Kathy Hochul’s leadership in Albany. Her administration rigged an $11 billion Medicaid contract for New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP), hand-picking Public Partnerships LLC (PPL) while sidelining qualified bidders. Emails detailed in the complaint show pressure from the Governor’s Office, a refusal to extend timelines despite clear warnings, and a deliberate effort to downplay the chaos that left thousands of disabled New Yorkers and their caregivers in limbo. Who exactly pressured officials to favor PPL? Why were qualified bidders sidelined? Why was the rushed timeline forced despite warnings from PPL itself? And how much taxpayer money was lost in this fiasco? If Kathy Hochul can’t answer these questions, then she should vacate her office immediately. New York cannot continue under leadership that refuses to take responsibility for a scandal this egregious.” Congressman Lawler has been sounding the alarm on this issue for years. In December 2024, he led a group of New York Republican lawmakers in urging House leadership to block federal Medicaid funding unless the state submitted a proper State Plan Amendment to CMS and received approval. He specifically highlighted serious concerns about bid rigging in the sole-source contract awarded to PPL. Then in March 2025, Lawler called for immediate HHS intervention and a DOJ investigation into the credible allegations of bid rigging. Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs. |