Democratic Congressman Hospitalized Following 'Emergency Medical Event'
Rep. Donald Norcross, a Democrat from New Jersey, was hospitalized on Sunday after experiencing a sudden health issue while traveling.
According to a statement from his office, “Congressman Donald Norcross was traveling over the weekend and suffered an emergency medical event likely related to his gallbladder. He was admitted to UNC Rex Hospital in North Carolina on Sunday and is in stable condition, where he is receiving exceptional medical treatment.”
The statement continued, “He is currently in good spirits and wants to thank the doctors, nurses, and support staff at UNC Rex Hospital for all their work on his behalf during his stay. When the Congressman is medically cleared to fly, he will be transferred back home to Cooper University Health Care in the coming days to complete his recovery.” The hospital where he was first admitted, UNC Rex, is situated in Raleigh.
An update provided on Tuesday revealed that, “Last night Congressman Donald Norcross was transferred to Cooper University Health Care in Camden City. He is in intensive care and stable. He is tired but glad to be back in South Jersey. His condition is improving, and he is on his way to making a full recovery.”
Norcross, 66, represents New Jersey’s first congressional district, covering the Camden area. He has served in the House since 2014 and currently sits on both the House Armed Services Committee and the Education and the Workforce Committee.
His absence from Capitol Hill could further complicate matters for Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, especially as critical votes loom.
As noted by the New Jersey Globe, if Norcross does not return to Washington this week, Democrats will be down another vote just as the House prepares to consider the budget resolution that recently cleared the Senate.
Currently, the House has 220 Republicans and 213 Democrats, after the recent deaths of Democratic Reps. Sylvester Turner (Texas) and Raul Grijalva (Arizona). Meanwhile, Republicans gained two seats last week following special elections in Florida.
Additionally, GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York recently announced she would stay in Congress, rather than accept a diplomatic position under former President Donald Trump.
Trump addressed the decision on Truth Social, writing, “I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat.”
According to The Hill, the Senate budget resolution, “which serves as a blueprint to a final measure, still needs to be adopted by the House before both chambers can begin a difficult negotiation on the bill to beef up border security, expand oil and gas drilling, increase defense spending and extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.”
The outlet also explained, “Once both chambers agree to a joint budget resolution, it will unlock the reconciliation process that allows Senate Republicans to pass Trump’s agenda with a simple-majority vote and avoid a Democratic filibuster.”
The House version of the resolution, which included more severe spending reductions, passed in late February by a narrow margin. With the slim majority, House Republicans have limited room for dissent as they work to align their proposal with the Senate’s version.