Democratic Senator John Fetterman Given 'Assistive Technology' In Senate Chamber As He Continues To Recover From Stroke
John Fetterman has been provided “assistive technology” to help the newly elected Democratic senator as he continues to recover from a stroke he suffered last year, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in May 2022 only days before winning Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senate primary, is reportedly outfitted with a closed captioning system, a monitor on his desk and a wireless tablet to be used for committee hearings.
The news of Fetterman’s Senate accommodations was revealed on Wednesday when the Pennsylvania politician appeared for his first Congressional hearing after being officially sworn in on January 3.
According to Daily Mail, Fetterman still struggled slightly as he appeared for his first hearing as a member of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
But while the 53-year-old Pennsylvania lieutenant governor-turned-senator reportedly stumbled over his words, he was successfully able to ask witnesses questions and thank both the committee chairwoman and other committee members for “the opportunity to learn.”
Meanwhile, Fetterman has reportedly remained hesitant to engage in impromptu Q&A sessions with reporters who post up outside the Senate chamber, although a staffer recently revealed they are “working on accommodations” so Fetterman can participate in impromptu interviews.
“They were coming up to talk to him and, in a room where there's a lot of other competing voices and noise, I just think people didn't realize,” fellow Pennsylvania Democratic Senator Bob Casey said regarding other senators being unsure how to approach Fetterman.
“What I made sure that I did one day at a caucus meeting is to stand up and explain that to people, so that when they next saw John, they would be more aware that he has an accommodation,” Senator Casey continued. “But it may not work in every instance.”
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Fetterman suffered a nearly-fatal stroke on May 13, 2022.
Fetterman’s stroke, and his subsequent recovery, became a main point of concern during the Democratic politician’s Senate campaign against Republican challenger Dr. Mehmet Oz.
“I don’t think there’s closed captioning on the floor of the Senate, and maybe he doesn’t need closed captioning when he’s actually moving around,” Dr. Oz said in October shortly before the November election. “But maybe he does.”
“Again, lots of question marks, and voters deserve better,” Oz added.
Despite Fetterman’s stroke, and despite Dr. Oz’s attacks against him, Fetterman ultimately won Pennsylvania’s Senate election on November 8 after garnering nearly 5% more votes than his Republican rival.
“Every county, every vote,” Fetterman said after winning his election. “We jammed them up. We held the line. I never expected that we were going to turn these red counties blue.”