Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley revealed this week that he had surgery over the weekend in Iowa to remove gallstones. This makes the 92-year-old Republican the most recent senior senator to have a health scare while Congress is busy with a lot of work.
Grassley, who is the president pro tempore of the Senate and chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, posted the news on X. He thanked his doctors and said he has no plans to slow down.
Grassley wrote that he had the procedure done “over the weekend in Iowa” and thanked the local doctors for their help, according to The Hill. He didn’t say where the facility was or how bad his condition was. But his message was short and focused on the future, as usual.
Just The News said that there was no exact date given for his return, so it is still not clear when he will be back in Washington.
Grassley wrote on X: “I’m grateful for the excellent care from local health care providers. Be back to capitol ASAP.”
Since January 1981, Grassley has been Iowa’s senator. Before that, he was in the House for six years, which means his time in Congress started when Gerald Ford was president. He is now in his ninth term, which is important in a chamber where seniority still matters.
His current term ends in 2028. If he finishes, he will have the fifth-longest term in Senate history, beating the late Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. It’s still not clear if he wants to run for a tenth term.
When reporters asked Grassley about his plans to run for re-election last August, he gave them the same old answer. He told the Iowa Capital Dispatch to “ask me the question again in a few years.” That answer could mean anything: retirement, another campaign, or just more time to think about it.
Health problems that affect high-ranking lawmakers have gotten more attention from the public in recent years, like when Sen. Mitch McConnell went to the hospital with flu-like symptoms. Every episode brings up new questions about age, fitness, and the real-world effects of being away from the Senate floor for a long time.
Grassley’s job goes far beyond Iowa. He is the third in line to be president after Vice President Vance and Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana. He is the most senior senator in the majority party and has the title of president pro tempore.
That job is mostly ceremonial in normal times. But it shows how important Grassley is to the Republican conference and how important his health is to the Senate’s work.
As head of the Judiciary Committee, he is in charge of some of the Senate’s most important work, such as overseeing and confirming judges. Any long absence could affect the GOP’s legislative priorities at a time when Senate Republicans are already dealing with tensions within the party over spending and strategy.
What we don’t know: Grassley’s announcement didn’t answer a lot of questions. He didn’t say which hospital or surgical center the procedure took place at. He didn’t say if the surgery was done in a hospital or at home, or if there were any problems. He didn’t say when he would be back, just that it would be “ASAP.”
Gallstones are common. They are hardened deposits of digestive fluid that form in the gallbladder. The Mayo Clinic says that they can be as small as a grain of sand or as big as a golf ball. A lot of people get them without any symptoms. Some people need surgery when the stones hurt, cause infections, or block things.