Byrd remains in Virginia hospital for observation

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) will remain at a Virginia hospital for “several days” as doctors continued to monitor the 90-year-old lawmaker for a mild infection.

Despite news that Byrd, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, was being hospitalized for the third time this year, his Senate Democratic colleagues said Tuesday they had no plans to reopen a debate about whether he can still handle his workload.

{mosads}Byrd’s health and ability to lead the powerful committee that awards federal money was discussed in a closed-door meeting in April, shortly after his second hospital admission. But this time, Senate Democrats lined up in support of the longest-serving senator in U.S. history.

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Byrd was “doing fine,” and the issue didn’t come up at the party’s weekly policy lunch other than as an informational note.

But pragmatic concern wasn’t hard to find, either, with more than one senator noting that the emergency war-spending bill could be difficult to finish depending on how the House and Senate reconcile their versions and how long Byrd stays away.

“We want him back well and quickly,” said Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.). “There are concerns depending on how things play out.”

Byrd’s office issued a statement Tuesday afternoon saying that he will remain at a Virginia hospital at his doctors’ urging “for several more days for monitoring and antibiotic treatment for a mild infection.”

The statement said Byrd was “alert, talking with staff, in good spirits and looks forward to getting back to work as soon as possible.”

{mosimage}The senator was hospitalized Tuesday night after feeling ill throughout the day. He attended a late-afternoon vote but complained of a high fever to a nurse, who sought medical attention.

Byrd was hospitalized briefly in February after a fall at his home, and again in March for adverse reactions to medication. Both stays were brief, but that didn’t stop a group of senators from questioning in April if Byrd had the strength to continue leading the committee. Several sources said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) was privately angling for the position should Byrd have had to step back.

But Byrd emerged on April 15 and chaired a closely watched committee hearing on the war-spending bill. That seemed to quiet the whispers.

Nelson and other Democrats said the current status of the war-spending bill and Byrd’s role depends on the level of negotiations required between the two chambers, which passed different versions. The measure could be bogged down in protracted House-Senate conference talks, which could exhaust Byrd’s energy, or it could be handled simply with one chamber adopting and amending the other’s bill. So far, the House has not scheduled a specific path of action.

Reid said Tuesday he didn’t yet know which route will be chosen, but said he is discussing the issue with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.).

“We’re trying to work our way through that,” Reid said. “I have a meeting later this evening with the Speaker, and that’s one of the issues we’ll discuss.”

Byrd does have the benefit of plenty of help from top Democrats on the Appropriations Committee, particularly subcommittee chairmen such as Patty Murray of Washington, Dianne Feinstein of California and Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois. Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said those and other committee members will continue to help fill in during Byrd’s absence.