John Fetterman Introduces Legislation While Hospitalized for Depression

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) introduced a bill while hospitalized on Wednesday as his weeks-long clinical depression treatment continues.

Fetterman was one of six senators to introduce the Railway Safety Act of 2023 on Wednesday, which aims to bolster safety on the nation’s railways following the devastating train derailment and “controlled” chemical burn in East Palestine, Ohio. Sens. J.D Vance (R-OH), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the bill along with the Pennsylvania Democrat.

Breitbart News reached out to Fetterman’s office on Wednesday inquiring if he remains in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and if he made the decision to cosponsor the bill from the hospital. His office has not responded. He was still hospitalized as of Friday, USA Today reported.

Fetterman’s spokesman, Joe Calvello, on Monday said that he was continuing to receive care and there were no major updates to his status.

“We don’t have a lot to update folks with since there’s no real news to report except that John is doing well, working with the wonderful doctors, and remains on a path to recovery,” wrote Calvello in a tweet.

Re Sen. Fetterman:

We don’t have a lot to update folks with since there’s no real news to report except that John is doing well, working with the wonderful doctors, and remains on a path to recovery.

— Joe Calvello (@the_vello) February 27, 2023

He added that the senator had been “visiting with staff and family daily” and his recovery “will be a weeks-long process.”

Along with the Railway Safety Act of 2023, a hospitalized Fetterman penned a joint letter with Casey and Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Wednesday, Newsweek noted.

The letter asked the company to take “immediate action to ensure that all residents and businesses of Darlington Township…receive equal access to the financial and other resources” the rail company was providing after the February 3 derailment.

Fetterman’s office announced he checked himself into the hospital on February 16. Less than a week earlier, he was discharged from George Washington University Hospital after a several-day stay. The 53-year-old, who suffered a major stroke days before the Democrat primary last May, was hospitalized on February 8 after feeling “lightheaded.” Doctors ruled out another stroke, and testing did not show signs of seizure, Calvello said.

During that time, the New York Times reported that he may have caused irreparable harm to his health by pushing himself too hard on the campaign trail:

He has had to come to terms with the fact that he may have set himself back permanently by not taking the recommended amount of rest during the campaign. And he continues to push himself in ways that people close to him worry are detrimental.

Moreover, Fetterman described his stroke-related auditory processing disorder symptoms, when at their worst, as trying to listen to and interpret the teacher from the Peanuts cartoon, per the Times.