Special Edition
⚡ Punchbowl News Special Edition: What Lujan's absence means for the Senate
![]() BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN ![]() 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:
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. |
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