⚡ Punchbowl News Special Edition: What Lujan's absence means for the Senate

BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN
WITH MAX COHEN AND CHRISTIAN HALL

Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) suffered a stroke last week and is in a hospital in New Mexico. Lujan had surgery to relieve swelling in his brain. Here is a statement from his office:

“Early Thursday morning, Senator Luján began experiencing dizziness and fatigue. He checked himself into Christus St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Santa Fe. He was then transferred to UNM Hospital in Albuquerque for further evaluation. Senator Luján 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.

“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. 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.”

First thing’s first — Lujan’s health is the most important issue here. The first-term New Mexico Democrat is only 49, which should be a huge plus in his recovery. 

But Lujan’s absence comes at an extraordinarily critical time for President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats. With Lujan in a hospital in New Mexico, Democrats don’t have a functioning majority to push through bills or nominations if all 50 Republicans are present. In other words, Lujan’s absence will immediately impact Senate business.

There’s also a question about when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the White House knew about Lujan’s health problems. It took five days for Lujan’s office to publicly disclose a serious health crisis for a sitting senator. While lawmakers, of course, deserve privacy, there’s also a need to inform the public about the health of their elected officials. There will be a lot more discussion on this, we’re sure.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told our friend Burgess Everett of Politico that he did not know Lujan had a stroke. 

We will have more in the PM edition and in Wednesday’s AM report.