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.
GOP will “surprisingly” find just enough “mavericks” to vote for Biden’s nominee. No matter how many dems stroke out, resign, are too drunk to show up, whatever ... the GOP will find enough “mavericks” to get it done for them. Like they always do on the big thing that are too important to pretend for the base.
There are a significant number of republican senators that will crap all over themselves to support the democrats. ( Murkowski, Collins, Graham, McConnell, Romney ...
........
Yes :-(
He had a brain bleed...clots in the brain(caused by vax or by other causes) don’t cause a need for “decompressive surgery”.
The vaxxes maybe causing more embolic or thrombotic strokes but not bleeds. Brain bleeds that occur spontaneously are often caused by inherited defects in the vascular systems...avm’s or aneurisms. Now a recent blow to the head with a slow leaking artery might also cause issues such as subdural bleeds(can have an insidious onset of symptoms over a few days or weeks) or epidural bleeds..(need for immediate action the “walky talky then suddenly dead a half hour later bleed after accident types.. Subarachnoid bleeds and intracerebral bleeds are other types of bleeds that might need immediate attention depending on severity and symptoms. A person could have a blow to the head with subarachnoid hemorrhage but if symptoms are stable or negligeable and the CT scans the next day don’t show any progression or brain shift due to increased pressure than the bleed will resolve itself without complication...that is if MRI scans don’t show any dramatic axonal torsional tearing(related to the kinetic force transferred from the blow to the head into the brain thru the skull).
It was cerebellar so balance and co-ordination and proprioception will be affected. Vertigo may be experienced. His frontal lobes and personality shouldn’t be too affected other than the emotional challenges he faces over any long term life style changes he might have to learn to deal with.
I worry if, his mobilization is affected, it will make him more of a wacked off angry Democrat!
It was cerebellar so balance and co-ordination and proprioception will be affected. Vertigo may be experienced. His frontal lobes and personality shouldn’t be too affected other than the emotional challenges he faces over any long term life style changes he might have to learn to deal with.
I worry if, his mobilization is affected, it will make him more of a wacked off angry Democrat!
Trump could take them BOTH out in a week by filing a quo warranto naming them as lacking authority to represent AZ in Congress because they cannot 'prove' the election which seated them was 'LAWFUL'. Clearly election materials that were required to be retained for 22 months is missing or spoiled, and their election cannot be 'proved up'. The affected Senators have no presumption of 'innocence', they must prove their authority to hold the seats in Congress.
Yes the longer they wait the worse the result, must have removed the clot. But still there is recovery time
Lujan should have streaming video set up in his room — New Mexican Jumping Pillows suffocated a Supreme Court Justice, and might strike again if politically expedient.
Our LORD moves in mysterious and unexpected ways.
Already having an impact: Vote Put Off on FCC Nominee After Democratic Senator Falls Ill
Not to mention that Feinstein and Leaky Leahy can barely walk to the Senate well.
-PJ
Luckily, Democrats never step aside for the “greater good,” so as long as he doesn’t croak but remains out-of-commission all is well.
S’OK. He can just mail in his vote.
They still have Cheney and Murkowsky they can count on for a Liberal Judge appointment
They need 2 stop
Romney,the hag and graham among others will vote 2 confirm
That was 13 months ago.
I wonder when he got his booster(s)
Collins, Cheney and Murkowsky
They only need one.
CHeney is in the house. You can trade her out for Collins, The dems will get more than 3 traitors to jump across the aisle.
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