Posted on 02/02/2022 6:13:08 AM PST by Red Badger
KEY POINTS:
New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, 49, is in the hospital after suffering a stroke and undergoing surgery, his office said.
Lujan, a Democrat, is “expected to make a full recovery,” his chief of staff, Carlos Sanchez, said in a statement.
Lujan’s recovery and presumed absence from Washington could complicate Democrats’ efforts to quickly appoint a successor to retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.
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New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Lujan suffered a stroke last week and underwent brain surgery, his office revealed Tuesday.
Lujan, a Democrat, is currently hospitalized and is “expected to make a full recovery,” his chief of staff, Carlos Sanchez, said in a statement. The 49-year-old senator felt dizzy and fatigued early Thursday before being hospitalized and found to have suffered a stroke in his cerebellum, Sanchez said.
Lujan’s recovery and presumed absence from Washington could complicate Democrats’ efforts to quickly appoint a successor to retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.
President Joe Biden said he expects to announce his nominee by the end of this month. The president has vowed to pick a Black woman to replace Breyer.
Democrats hold a razor-thin majority in the Senate, which is in charge of confirming new justices to the high court. The chamber is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Vice President Kamala Harris wielding the tie-breaking vote.
As long as Lujan is absent, Democrats do not have enough members to allow them to confirm a Supreme Court justice on a party-line vote.
Breyer plans to step down in the summer, but he has suggested that the timing of his retirement will be predicated on whether or not his successor has been confirmed.
Lujan’s office declined to comment when asked by NBC News when they expect Lujan could return to work.
A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to questions from CNBC about whether Biden was aware of Lujan’s condition, or whether there was any sense at the White House of what Lujan’s recovery timeline might be.
Lujan “began experiencing dizziness and fatigue” early Thursday morning, Sanchez said. “He checked himself into Christus St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Santa Fe. He was then transferred to UNM Hospital in Albuquerque for further evaluation.”
The senator “was found to have suffered a stroke in the cerebellum, affecting his balance. As part of his treatment plan, he subsequently underwent decompressive surgery to ease swelling,” Sanchez said.
“He is currently being cared for at UNM Hospital, resting comfortably, and expected to make a full recovery. The Senator’s offices remain open and will continue providing constituent services to all New Mexicans without any interruption,” Sanchez said.
“The Senator and his family would like to thank the wonderful doctors and staff at both UNM Hospital and Christus St. Vincent Regional Hospital for their excellent care during this time. Senator Luján looks forward to getting back to work for the people of New Mexico. At this time, he and his family would appreciate their privacy, and ask for your continued prayers and well wishes,” the chief of staff said.
It takes weeks to even reach the hearing stage after the president submits his or her pick to the Senate. For modern nominees it has taken 41 days on average, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Despite a deeply polarized environment on Capitol Hill, the White House is optimistic that its nominee to the court will secure at least a few votes from Republicans during her confirmation.
But whether Republicans choose to cross the aisle on this vote depends in part on whether Democrats attempt to pass large swaths of Biden’s Build Back Better Act on a party line vote.
Should Lujan be unable to return to work, the state’s governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (no relation) would appoint his replacement. The governor is a Democrat, and she would all but certainly appoint a Democrat to Lujan’s seat.
On Capitol Hill, news of the senator’s stroke sent shockwaves through both parties, and quickly raised questions about why it took five days for his office to disclose his condition.
Sen. Dick Durbin, the Democratic Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, had been unaware of Lujan’s stroke until reporters told him about it Tuesday afternoon.
“Oh my God,” Durbin reportedly responded.
the dems will call for fairness to the 50 50 split and insist a repub sit out the voting... they have done it in the past i believe.
There’s a lot of talk that Kaine is the next indictment. Fingers crossed.
Schumer has 3 safe GOP votes for whoever “Biden” nominates, probably up to ten.
Skip the needless drama.
Why would Tim Kaine need to be replaced if he were indicted?
I imagine he would continue to serve from prison, if it came to that.
How many Republicans voted against Ruth Bader Ginsburg?
Yes indeed Dick. He certainly does move in mysterious ways.
https://ladailypost.com/u-s-rep-ben-ray-lujan-receives-coronavirus-vaccine/
“Until he is better, this kills any party line vote the dems want. They can no longer count on Harris to provide the winning vote.”
Given the go along to get along mentality of a number of GOP senators, the Dems may not need Lujan’s vote. They’ll need the likes of Murkowski, Collins, Graham, etc to put the Dems over the top.
Perhaps the Senator’s brush with death will cause him to have a better appreciation of life.
Maybe he will begin to see things on a different level.
One can hope and pray.
Many on the GOP side will congratulate Biden on his “excellent choice”, and she’ll be quickly, and overwhelmingly, confirmed.
No it won’t. They’ll get about 15 Repukes.
Nonsense. At least four or five republicans, and probably many more, will vote for Biden’s nominee. The significance of this is as pertains to the plans to chop up BBB and pass various pieces of it. They’re not getting anything done until Lujan returns to Washington
If they test positive for covid, covid gets the blame. Like remdesikiller and vents, covid is the perfect cover.
Stroke from the clot shot?
I just moved out of NC after 12 years, shoulda known that.
PA—Toomey
“Given the go along to get along mentality of a number of GOP senators, the Dems may not need Lujan’s vote. They’ll need the likes of Murkowski, Collins, Graham, etc to put the Dems over the top.”
I should have been clearer. You’re right, whatever black women that gets chosen will have the support of the 12 RINOs in the senate. I really meant the Senate overall effect.
No Dem Party Line votes will go through until he is healthy enough to travel and vote.
It really matters where the stroke hit, but if it was cerebral then there is no full recovery. The tissues downstream of the occlusion will literally die. They don’t come back to life. Surgery will cause more damage. They will do whatever they can to stand him back up because they need him. Liberals say they value life but they only value usefulness.
It’s a Dem governor in NM, so the quick alternative is Arkancide and a replacement Senator.
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