John Fetterman returns to Senate after depression treatment
Sen John Fetterman (D-Pa.) returned to the Senate two months after he checked into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he received treatment for clinical depression, CNN reports. Fetterman started inpatient treatment in February and was discharged last month.
As he arrived at the Capitol on his first day back, Fetterman told reporters, "It's great to be back," before declining to answer questions. His return coincided with the Senate coming back into session on Apr. 17 after a two-week recess.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Pennsylvania Democrat had dealt with "depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks," his chief of staff explained in February after announcing that the senator had decided to seek treatment.
Legislators from both parties "expressed support for the Pennsylvania Democrat as he underwent treatment for clinical depression," CNN says, "and Fetterman's decision to seek treatment opened up a broader conversation on Capitol Hill about mental health."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, told CNN's Lauren Fox that Fetterman "saved lives" by being open about his struggles with depression and his choice to seek help. "I think John Fetterman saved lives by being a prominent person who stepped up and said he had a problem with mental health issues and he would seek treatment in a very visible and public way," Warren said.
Fetterman is one of three senators who have been absent due to medical reasons, Reuters says. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also returned on Monday after being treated for a concussion after he fell last month. Sen.Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has been out since early Match after being hospitalized for shingles.
-
James Van Der Beek obituary: fresh-faced Dawson’s Creek starIn The Spotlight Van Der Beek fronted one of the most successful teen dramas of the 90s – but his Dawson fame proved a double-edged sword
-
Is Andrew’s arrest the end for the monarchy?Today's Big Question The King has distanced the Royal Family from his disgraced brother but a ‘fit of revolutionary disgust’ could still wipe them out
-
Quiz of The Week: 14 – 20 FebruaryQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
