Despite suffering a minor stroke on Sunday, former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer plans to attend the Democratic convention next week in Chicago.
Hoyer, 85, had a “mild ischemic stroke” on Sunday night, his office announced Tuesday afternoon. Hoyer — who served as House majority leader for eight years, among his other posts — “responded well to treatment.” Hoyer took part in a staff call on Tuesday and was joking with aides, sources said.
Yet the last few months have been difficult for the House Democratic Caucus, which has seen a number of its veteran lawmakers deal with serious health problems.
Reps. Donald Payne (D-N.J.) and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) died in April and July respectively following illnesses.
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) — who at 87 is the second oldest member of the House — remains hospitalized in New Jersey. This is the second time Pascrell has been in the hospital recently. We reported on Tuesday that House Democratic leaders and party officials in New Jersey are watching to see if Pascrell retires. The longtime House member has until Aug. 27 to remove his name from the ballot in order to be replaced by another Democrat. Pascrell’s office says he’s running for reelection in November.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) has been absent from Capitol Hill since April as he undergoes treatment for lung cancer. Grijalva has completed his chemotherapy and radiation regimes and hopes to return to Washington soon.
Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) announced last month that he was being treated for early-stage multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.
Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) has long faced questions about his health, although he’s on pace to win another term in November.
And Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) announced last year that she won’t be seeking reelection after being diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain disease. Wexton recently used an AI program of her own voice to make a speech on the House floor.
House Republicans have had their own health challenges, although perhaps not quite as pronounced as their Democratic counterparts.
Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), the “Dean of the House,” was hospitalized earlier this year after a car crash. But the 86-year-old former Appropriations Committee chair returned after a brief stint in rehab.
Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) gave up the gavel at the Appropriations Committee back in March, an extraordinary move during the middle of a Congress. The 81-year-old Texas Republican had slowed noticeably in recent years. Granger announced she wasn’t running for reelection last year.
