WASHINGTON — Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, the Senate president pro tempore and Appropriations chairman, was hospitalized after not feeling well Thursday night, according to his office.
The 82-year-old Vermont Democrat was at his home in McLean, Virginia, when he started not feeling well and was taken to a Washington-area hospital for tests and is expected to remain overnight for observation, his office said. They did not specify what tests were administered.
Leahy had hip replacement surgery in June and has been using a wheelchair to get around the Capitol as he continues his recovery. His office did not specify whether his hospitalization Thursday night was related, but said they would provide further updates “as warranted.”
As Senate president pro tempore, a position held by the longest-serving senator of the majority party, Leahy is third in the presidential line of succession.
Leahy, who is retiring at the end of the current Congress, helped Democrats negotiate the recent stopgap funding law extending fiscal 2022 spending levels through Dec. 16. The measure, which also included some anomalies and supplemental funding like more aid for Ukraine, is meant to be a bridge toward an omnibus package that he wants to see enacted this year before he departs.
