Sen. Ben Ray Luján says he's close to making full recovery from stroke: 'I’m feeling strong'
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New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján said he’s close to making a full recovery from his stroke this past January. “I’m feeling strong,” he said, according to the Associated Press. Luján made the remarks during a visit last week to a local high school to discuss mental health support. “I’m still not 100%, but I think I’m over 90%.”
Luján was out for roughly a month following his stroke, saying in mid-February that he planned to complete his recovery at an in-patient rehabilitation facility following his discharge from the University of New Mexico Hospital. The junior senator had also undergone surgery to ease swelling on his brain.
”Now, rest assured, New Mexicans can know they will have a voice and a vote during this process,” he said at the time. “That has never changed. Now throughout my recovery, my Senate office has remained open, and we’ve been working to provide constituent services throughout New Mexico during this entire time.”
Luján had also pledged to return in time to consider the nomination of President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee. He made it back on March 3, to a standing ovation from the Senate Commerce Committee. An emotional Luján thanked his Senate colleagues for their prayers, saying “it worked.”
The president had the week prior announced that he’d selected Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee to replace associate justice Stephen Breyer. On April 7, Luján voted to confirm her.
“Over the course of Judge Jackson’s historic confirmation hearings, she carried herself with poise, dignity, and resolve,” he said. “Even Republican Senators recognized Judge Jackson as a deeply qualified and knowledgeable jurist, as seen in their remarks and the bipartisan confirmation vote today.” He said that “as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, I know that she will continue to serve as an inspiration to countless Americans.”
Luján made the remarks on his recovery during a joint visit with Education Sec. Miguel Cardona. Luján called the spike in mental health distress among youth “heartbreaking,” but told students “how inspired I am by your strength and courage—and that it’s okay to ask for help or reach out to someone who may be struggling.”
“The Senator also discussed the COVID-19 relief funding he delivered through the American Rescue Plan and other legislation that increased federal support for schools to meet students’ mental health needs and respond to the pandemic,” his office said.