Democrat lawmaker freezes on House floor after suffering adverse reaction to medication

Rep. John Larson, D-Ct., appeared to frost mid-remarks connected the House level connected Monday. In the mediate of impassioned remarks aimed against President Donald Trump and his team, including Elon Musk, Larson took a agelong intermission and erstwhile helium resumed speaking his velocity was noticeably slower. The lawmaker was besides slurring his words.

Following the incident, Larson’s D.C. office enactment retired a connection expressing the congressman’s gratitude to those who reached retired and clarifying a imaginable crushed for the lawmaker’s agelong pause.

"Congressman Larson appreciates the good wishes from everyone who has reached out. This afternoon, helium had what was apt an adverse absorption to a caller medicine and is having tests administered by the House Attending Physician retired of an abundance of caution," Larson’s bureau wrote successful a statement.

 "He aboriginal participated successful aggregate meetings successful his bureau and was alert and engaged. The Congressman remains successful interaction with his unit and successful bully spirits."

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The 76-year-old lawmaker’s office, however, did not supply details connected what the medicine was oregon wherefore the congressman was purportedly taking it. Larson besides reportedly skipped 2 House votes held connected Monday night, according to Axios.

American voters person grown progressively acrophobic implicit lawmakers’ ages. The contented of property successful authorities is not new, arsenic erstwhile President Ronald Regan combated questions astir his property erstwhile moving for re-election successful 1984. Reagan famously joked astir the contented successful a statement against erstwhile Vice President Walter Mondale.

"I privation you to cognize that besides I volition not marque property an contented of this campaign. I americium not going to exploit, for governmental purposes, my opponent's younker and inexperience," Reagan joked during the debate, eliciting laughs from the assemblage and Mondale.

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However, the 2024 predetermination brought property backmost into the spotlight arsenic galore questioned then-President Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities. When the president dropped retired of the contention successful July 2024, immoderate Democrats tried to flip the property question onto Trump, but this mostly fell flat.

Additionally, conscionable days earlier Larson’s incident, Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who volition crook 83 aboriginal this month, near the Capitol successful a wheelchair arsenic a precautionary contented aft falling twice.

"Senator McConnell is fine. The lingering effects of polio successful his near limb volition not disrupt his regular docket of work," a spokesperson for the legislator said successful a statement.

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The mean property of America’s lawmakers is changing, according to a study from the Pew Research Center. In January, Pew reported that the mean property of voting members successful the House and the median property successful the Senate had dropped. The House’s median property went from 57.9 years successful the 118th Congress to 57.5 years successful the 119th, portion the median property successful the Senate went from 65.3 to 64.7 years.

Pew shows that the bulk of the House successful the 119th Congress is made up of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, with the younger procreation dilatory outpacing the older one. Baby Boomers are nary longer the largest procreation successful the House, present accounting for conscionable 39% of the legislative body. Their numbers person besides dropped successful the Senate, contempt Baby Boomers inactive making up a bulk of the chamber.

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., is the lone Gen Z lawmaker successful Congress. Members of Frost’s procreation are not yet eligible to tally for Senate, wherever the minimum property to service is 30 years old.