Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, DN.M., holds a press conference at the Capitol Visitor Center to announce the new infrastructure investment framework on Wednesday, January 29, 2020.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | beautiful pictures
WASHINGTON – Democratic Senator Ben Ray Lujan, who suffered a stroke in late January, said in a video released on Sunday that he would return to Washington in “a few short weeks” to cast his ballot. President. Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee.
“I’m doing well. I’m strong. I’m on my way to recovery and I will make a full recovery,” Lujan said in a video released by his office.
Supported by doctors, Lujan said he will spend the next few weeks at an inpatient rehabilitation facility in New Mexico following major surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.
“I’m proud to report, then I’ll be back on the US Senate floor in just a few short weeks to vote on important legislation and consider a Supreme Court nominee,” he added.
For the past two weeks, Lujan’s team has revealed nothing about his condition, leading to speculation that he may not be able to return to the Senate anytime soon.
In the video released Sunday, Lujan’s doctors said he was being treated in the neurocritical care unit of the University of New Mexico Hospital, where they performed decompression surgery. This involves removing part of the patient’s skull to make more space for the brain.
With Senate equally divided, Lujan stroke complicates Democrats’ efforts to quickly appoint a successor to retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.
Without Lujan’s presence in the Senate, Democrats would not have had the 50 votes needed to confirm a replacement in the partisan vote, giving Republicans a veto on the election. their choices effectively.
chairperson Joe Biden said he expected to announce the nominees later this month. The president has vowed to choose a Black woman to replace Breyer, and he plans to interview several potential candidates over the next week.
Unlike the House of Representatives, which changed the rules to allow members to vote by proxy during the pandemic, the Senate has made no such change. Unless a senator is present in person at the time of voting, they cannot vote.
Sunday’s video marks the first time anyone has seen or heard of Lujan since news of the stroke was announced through a statement from his office on February 1.
The statement revealed that Lujan had suffered a stroke five days earlier, raising questions about why his office took so long to disclose his condition.
Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, was not aware of Lujan’s stroke until reporters told him about it after the statement was made.
“Oh my God,” Durbin said upon learning of Lujan’s condition.
