Senate Democrats weigh Byrd’s health vs. workload

Senate Democrats said Tuesday they have considered the idea of shifting the workload of ailing Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd.

Byrd’s health and ability to lead the powerful panel was discussed at a regular weekly meeting of top Democrats. The 90-year-old West Virginia Democrat has been present for several recent votes, but earlier this year was in and out of the hospital for short stays.

{mosads}Many participants of the closed-door meeting wouldn’t discuss the details, noting the sensitivity of aByrd’s situation.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) said the party has legitimate, reasonable concerns and only wants to help Byrd.

“The concern is that we’ve got a lot to do, and we’ve got to move quickly,” Lincoln said. “We’ve got appropriations bills. We’ve got issues with supplemental [spending bills]. We’ve just got a lot of things that are very, very timely and we’ve got to move quickly, and recently he hasn’t been feeling well and that just makes it difficult.”

Lincoln emphasized that no one has raised the issue of Byrd’s resigning or stepping down from the committee, but perhaps lightening his load by spreading it among other senators.

“I don’t think anybody’s ready for him to step down or leave or anything like that,” she said. “This is just about being able to work as a team and get help from other members in these times that we’ve got to move quickly. Folks want to be as helpful as they can be in getting our work done.”

Byrd, who is the longest-serving senator in U.S. history and is third in the line of presidential succession, was first hospitalized on Feb. 26 after suffering a fall in his Virginia home and injuring his back. He stayed three nights at Walter Reed before being discharged.

Byrd subsequently suffered a urinary tract infection and was readmitted to a local hospital on March 5, after doctors expressed concerns over his reaction to antibiotics.

Byrd’s health takes on a heightened urgency since his committee is beginning its heaviest lifting of the year, with the appropriations bills that fund the federal budget.

Other senators said Byrd remains capable and that talk of shifting his responsibilities is premature.

“He may be frail, but he still has his mental faculties,” said Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.).

A spokesman for Byrd said that the senator is focused on the job at hand, and dismissed calls for lightening his load as “petty rumor-mongering.”