Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is expected to return to the Senate in mid-April after seeking treatment for clinical depression.
Earlier this month, Fetterman’s chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, said that Fetterman was “well on his way to recovery” and would “be back soon” but offered no specific date. The latest update finally gives us a timeline for his expected return.
“Sen. John Fetterman plans to return to the Senate the week of April 17 after more than a month of inpatient treatment for depression, according to two people with direct knowledge of his plan,” Politico reported Wednesday.
In February, mere weeks after taking office, Fetterman was hospitalized after he experienced dizziness during a Senate Democrats retreat. Less than a week after being discharged from the hospital, he checked himself into Walter Reed. Initial reports suggested he’d be released in just a few weeks, but his treatment was repeatedly extended.
Assuming this new reported timeline for his return is correct, he’ll have spent two months at Walter Reed. Fetterman’s absence from the Senate has been a problem for Democrats, who have been unable to pass several key pieces of legislation due to his and Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s absences.
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Despite Fetterman’s rumored return, it is unclear whether he can perform his job as a senator effectively. Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed for depression because he was struggling to adapt to life in the U.S. Senate while still dealing with cognitive impairments from his May 2022 stroke. One difficulty he has is an auditory processing disorder, which makes communication and even comprehension difficult when others speak. Despite efforts to accommodate his disability in the Senate, he still struggled to perform his job.
Critics have been accused of being unsympathetic toward John Fetterman and his struggles. However, Fetterman and his campaign misled the public last year by claiming he was fit to serve in the Senate. Fetterman pushed on with his campaign despite his health problems, and it is possible that he suffered permanent brain damage as a result.
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