VIDEO: Senate Votes to Hold Steward Health CEO in Contempt for Failure to Comply with Congressional Subpoena

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), chair of the HELP Committee, released a joint statement after the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to hold Steward Health Care CEO Dr. Ralph de la Torre in criminal contempt for defying a congressional subpoena to testify before the HELP Committee. The Committee approved the contempt resolutions by a strong bipartisan vote of 20-0 last week. 

“The Committee sought testimony about the financial decisions made by Dr. de la Torre as CEO of Steward Health Care to understand the financial downfall of the company and to inform legislative action to prevent similar events from affecting the patients and communities we represent,” said the senators. “Unfortunately, Dr. de la Torre repeatedly refused to appear before this committee even when compelled by a duly authorized subpoena. If you defy a Congressional subpoena, you will be held accountable. Today, the Senate unanimously approved our resolution to hold Dr. de la Torre in criminal contempt.”

In July, the HELP Committee voted on a strong bipartisan basis to subpoena Dr. de la Torre’s testimony after his repeated refusal to cooperate with the Committee’s investigation into Steward’s financial mismanagement of its hospitals.   

Click here to watch Cassidy’s opening remarks before the Senate vote.     

See below for the remarks as prepared for delivery.   

M. President,

For months, the HELP Committee, on a bipartisan basis, has investigated the financial mismanagement of Steward Health Care and the impact on the delivery of care at its hospitals. Steward’s mismanagement has nationwide implications, affecting patient care in more than 30 hospitals across eight states including Glenwood Regional Medical Center in West Monroe, LA.

Because of Steward’s management decisions resulting in limited resources at Glenwood, the state had to force the hospital to operate at one-third its capacity. One patient died waiting for a transfer to another hospital because Glenwood did not have necessary resources to treat.

According to a report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a physician at Glenwood told a Louisiana state inspector that the hospital was performing “third-world medicine.”

The problems at Glenwood are not unique. The HELP Committee heard testimony that because of understaffing at Steward-owned St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston, patients at the hospital waited in the emergency room for hours and sometimes days for care.

We also heard testimony that Steward neglected to pay the vendors for essential hospital supplies. At St. Elizabeth’s, when newborn babies died, nurses were forced to put their bodies into cardboard shipping boxes because Steward did not pay for proper bereavement boxes. A new mother who experienced a bleed during childbirth died because a basic piece of medical equipment that would have saved her life was repossessed weeks earlier because Steward didn’t pay its bills.  

Through the committee’s investigation, it became evident that a thorough review of Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ralph de la Torre’s management decisions was essential to understand Steward’s financial problems and failure to serve its patients. To better understand and hopefully prevent this situation from happening again, we sought answers from Dr. de la Torre on his financial decisions that led to the downfall of Steward hospitals.

Unfortunately, Dr. de la Torre refused to testify voluntarily and, as a result, the Committee issued a subpoena in July. Up until September 4, Dr. de la Torre’s lawyers indicated he intended to comply with the subpoena and testify. However, eight days before the scheduled hearing, Dr. de la Torre informed the committee he would not comply with the subpoena.

We responded to Dr. de la Torre explaining why his objections to the Committee’s subpoena had no merit and directed him to comply. Unfortunately, Dr. de la Torre ultimately defied the subpoena and refused to appear before the Committee.

A witness cannot disregard and evade a duly authorized subpoena. That is why today, the Senate will be voting on a resolution to hold Dr. de la Torre in criminal contempt for defying the subpoena.

It is unfortunate that we have gotten to this point. But if someone shows contempt for the American people by defying a subpoena and refusing to provide answers, then that is a contemptible thing. Congress has a responsibility to act.

I urge my colleagues to approve this resolution to hold Dr. de la Torre in contempt.

For all news and updates from HELP Republicans, visit our website or Twitter at @GOPHELP.