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February 17, 2023
Presented by Wells Fargo
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PRESENTED BY
THE TOP
Happy Friday morning.
In an institution where members frequently cover up illnesses, lie about the severity of personal problems and are propped up by staff and their families for far too long, the public admission by Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-Pa.) office on Thursday that he was being hospitalized for depression is a dramatic departure from the norm.
The 53-year-old Fetterman suffered a near-fatal stroke just nine months ago, and he’s now been hospitalized twice since becoming a senator on Jan. 3. Fetterman’s chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, has been candid about the hurdles – including psychological – that Fetterman must overcome.
In the Capitol, the towering Pennsylvania Democrat avoids talking to reporters in the hallway because he has trouble with auditory processing. He conducts Senate business by reading closed captions on a tablet.
Fetterman’s office released a statement Thursday afternoon that he had “checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression.”
More from Jentleson:
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Twitter that he’s glad Fetterman sought treatment:
Fetterman isn’t the first senator to have a stroke, but the acknowledgement of the mental anguish he’s had to deal with since then sets Fetterman apart.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) suffered a serious stroke in January 2022, eventually needing surgery to relieve cranial swelling. In a stunningly swift recovery, Luján returned to work just over a month later. Luján can get emotional talking about how lucky he feels to have survived the episode.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) had a minor stroke in May 2022 and was hospitalized for a week. Van Hollen returned to work quickly after that.
Former Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) suffered very serious medical episodes while in office and underwent long, grueling recoveries before returning to the Senate. Both men had physical challenges afterward. There were also reports that Kirk had difficulty at times controlling his emotions following his stroke, although aides denied it. Johnson was reelected to another term in 2008, while Kirk lost to Democrat Tammy Duckworth in 2016.
The difference, of course, is that all four of these senators were in office when they underwent health emergencies. Fetterman had his stroke in the middle of a very high-profile campaign. It dramatically altered the former lieutenant governor’s personality, and his health – current and future – was a huge issue in the race. Republicans accused him of covering up his true health condition. So Fetterman has been under enormous scrutiny every moment he’s been in office.
In addition, this comes as Sen. Bob Casey, his fellow Pennsylvania Democrat up for reelection in 2024, is being treated for prostate cancer.
The late Sen. Thomas Eagleton (D-Mo.) was hospitalized three times in the 1960s for depression and was given electroshock therapy. This was before Eagleton was a senator. Eagleton’s condition became public after he was picked as Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern’s running mate in 1972. Eagleton ended up quitting the ticket just 18 days after McGovern selected him because of the uproar.
Despite the then-unprecedented admission, Eagleton was reelected to two more Senate terms.
Sadly, sometimes lawmakers deploy claims of mental illness when they get caught doing something bad. They end up in rehab or claim to be undergoing psychiatric treatment before pleading guilty or resigning from office. Or both.
However, Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) gave a stunningly forthright floor speech in May 2019 about being treated for depression twice – first as a college student and then in her 30s. Smith praised Fetterman in a Thursday tweet for discussing his situation.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) also talked about being hospitalized for depression following Fetterman’s announcement:
Happening today: Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the leaders of the China select committee, are reintroducing their bill to ban TikTok. This effort has picked up bipartisan momentum recently.
One more thing: President Joe Biden will travel to Poland Feb. 20-22.
– Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan
INSIDE THE HOUSE GOP
Who is attending the NRCC’s big fundraising bash
As we wrote yesterday, the NRCC is hosting its annual winter fundraiser this weekend at the Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne, Fla. The entire House GOP leadership is attending, as are upwards of 90 Republican lawmakers.
We got our hands on the attendee list – all eight pages of it – and we wanted to highlight some of the bold-faced names scheduled to be in Key Biscayne.
| → | Andy Abboud, the senior vice president of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and the longtime political fixer for the Adelsons. |
| → | Kirsten Chadwick of Fierce Government Relations. |
| → | Former Rep. Ryan Costello (R-Pa.). |
| → | Former Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), a close ally of Speaker Kevin McCarthy. |
| → | Former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) and David Urban of the BGR Group. |
| → | Will Dunham of BHFS. Dunham was McCarthy’s policy director until recently. |
| → | Former Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-Pa.) of AT&T. |
| → | Michael Herson of American Defense International. |
| → | Susan Hirschmann of Williams and Jensen. |
| → | Former Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Pa.). |
| → | Tiffany Moore of the Consumer Technology Association. |
| → | Former Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), who is now the head of federal policy at Baker and Hostetler. |
| → | Mike Sommers, the head of the American Petroleum Institute and the former chief of staff to former Speaker John Boehner. |
| → | Amy Swonger of Invariant. Swonger was the head of legislative affairs in the Trump White House. |
| → | Former Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.) of HHQ Ventures. |
– Jake Sherman
WASHINGTON X THE WORLD
Congress is heading to Munich – in droves
The Munich Security Conference will look a lot like Capitol Hill this weekend.
A slew of senators and members will be in Germany for the annual foreign policy and security gathering.
To start: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will be there.
Schumer is going to Munich and then continuing on to Israel and India. This is Schumer’s first codel in a decade; he prefers trips to Syracuse and Buffalo over Paris and London.
Schumer is bringing Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Mark Warner (Va.), Peter Welch (Vt.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.) on his codel.
McConnell is traveling with Republican Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.), Joni Ernst (Iowa) and freshmen Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.).
Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) will lead a codel with 13 lawmakers: Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.).
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi will also attend.
– Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan
PRESENTED BY AMERICAN BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION
The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo are offering more choices with less sugar. In fact, nearly 60% of beverages sold contain zero sugar. BalanceUS.org
THE LEADERS
In case you missed it, we launched our latest editorial project, The Leaders, on Tuesday.
Our first profile features Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who’s working to make his oil and gas state a leader in renewable energy production.
The Leaders spotlights four elected officials using novel approaches to help steer their state and local economies. They’re luring new businesses into their communities, creating jobs and working to foster innovation and sustainability.
You can watch our interview with Stitt here. Stay tuned as we unveil our next three profiles.
THE MONEY GAME
If you’re a skier, you know the bliss of “aprés ski,” the art of relaxing and letting loose after a long day on the slopes. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) is trying to bring the aprés ski spirit to D.C. with a themed fundraiser next Thursday.
The invite encourages attendees to “dress in their ski best,” with goggles and hats. Check it out here.
— Max Cohen
PRESENTED BY AMERICAN BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION
America’s beverage companies are delivering more choices with less sugar. BalanceUS.org
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