US Senator Fetterman returns to Senate after depression treatment

By Katharine Jackson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic U.S. Senator John Fetterman returned to work on Monday after weeks of treatment for depression, bringing a crucial vote back to a Senate narrowly controlled by Democrats.

The Pennsylvania senator, 53, waved to cameras as he entered the Capitol in his customary hoodie and shorts.

“It’s great to be back,” he told reporters.

Fetterman checked into a Washington-area hospital to be treated for clinical depression in mid-February and was discharged in late March with his depression in remission, his office said.

Known for his progressive politics — as well as his shaved head and tattooed frame — Fetterman flipped a Republican-held seat in November’s midterm elections, six months after suffering a near-fatal stroke. His win expanded Democrats’ majority by one seat to 51-49.

Fetterman’s office said he will chair a hearing on Wednesday on the federal government’s food stamp program, SNAP.

Fetterman is one of three senators who have recently been out for medical reasons.

The Senate’s top Republican, Mitch McConnell, 81, who was treated for a concussion after a fall, also returned to work on Monday.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, has been sidelined since early March after suffering from shingles. She will return as soon as her doctors advise it is safe for her to travel, she said on Wednesday. She has not voted since mid-February.

Feinstein said she would temporarily step down from her spot on the Judiciary Committee while she recovers, though it is not clear Democrats will be able to appoint a temporary replacement over Republican objections.

(Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)