John Fetterman plans mid-April return to Senate after 2 months of intensive treatment

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania emerges from a closed-door, classified briefing at the US Capitol on February 14, 2023 in Washington, DC.

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• Sen. John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke last year, is expected to return to the Senate in about two weeks.
• The Pennsylvania Democrat has been seeking treatment for clinical depression since mid-February.
• Fetterman's return will nudge Senate Democrats back towards their delicate 51-seat majority.

Sen. John Fetterman is planning to return to the US Capitol after the upcoming spring recess, a person close to the Pennsylvania Democrat told Insider. 

The confirmation corroborates a Politico report saying that two other people in Fetterman's inner circle expect him to be back at work starting the week of April 17.  

Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on February 15 to seek help for clinical depression. 

The 53-year-old Capitol Hill newcomer, who is still recovering from a stroke he suffered in early 2022, worked to hit the ground running his first month. Colleagues like fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey and freshman Sen. Pete Welch of Vermont have helped out Fetterman's staff in the interim, pitching in on legislative projects and committee hearings as needed. 

Having Fetterman back will restore a critical vote for Senate Democrats.

Their narrow 51-seat majority hasn't been intact for months as lawmakers like Fetterman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who's been out for weeks after contracting shingles, and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, wrestle with their respective health issues. 

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