Senate Democrats suddenly found themselves Thursday potentially without a critical vote they will need in their uphill effort to pass a major tax and spending reconciliation package before the August recess.
Appropriations Chairman Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., broke his hip after taking a fall in his McLean, Virginia, home Wednesday night and was scheduled for surgery to repair the fracture on Thursday morning, his office said in a statement.
While a full recovery is expected, the hip surgery could sideline the 82-year-old Leahy for weeks, just as momentum appeared to be building to salvage a downsized version of the “Build Back Better” plan that stalled last year.
