Sen. Ben Ray Luján returned to the Senate on Thursday, weeks after suffering a stroke.
The New Mexico Democrat received a standing ovation and hugs from his colleagues during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing.
“It’s an absolute honor to be back,” Luján said.
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Luján also expressed gratitude to those who “sent me notes, that sent videos and all the prayers.”
“It worked, and it’s good to be back. I’ll tell you, I missed y’all,” he said. “So I look forward to getting to work, madam chair.”
Senator Ben Ray Luján receives a standing ovation upon his return to the Senate.
.@SenatorCantwell: “Senator Luján, so good to see you.”@SenatorLujan: “It’s an absolute honor to be back!” pic.twitter.com/3q2rYR1eIk
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 3, 2022
Unlike the House, the Senate does not permit proxy voting. Lujan’s absence from the upper chamber cut into Democrats’ 50-50 majority dependent on Vice President Kamala Harris’s tiebreaking vote in her capacity as president of the Senate.
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When Luján’s office disclosed his hospitalization last month, it estimated he would return to the Senate in four to six weeks. The announcement sparked speculation his recovery might delay the confirmation process for President Joe Biden’s then-unnamed nominee to the Supreme Court.
Biden has since announced Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his selection. Jackson had meetings Wednesday and Thursday with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and members of the Judiciary Committee.
