Kennedy to Miss Supplemental Vote

By Tim Taylor
Roll Call Staff
May 19, 2008, 4:04 p.m.

After suffering a seizure over the weekend, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is unlikely to return to the Senate for debate on the war supplemental spending bill.

A Kennedy spokesman said Monday the Massachusetts Senator underwent tests to determine the cause of Saturday’s seizure, but it is unlikely that information from those tests will be released Monday.

The Senate will begin to debate Tuesday on the controversial war funding bill, which includes policy changes advocating troop withdrawal by June 2009.

With Kennedy resting from his seizure, Senate Democrats will have one less vote to bring them closer to their troop withdrawal goal. Kennedy, an iconic figure in the Senate, has been an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq.

Kennedy’s spokesman anticipates that the 76-year-old lawmaker will not be returning to the Senate before the chamber breaks for the Memorial Day recess.

“The Senator is doing well and is anxious to get back to work. But doctors are still evaluating him and we expect the Senator to remain in the hospital for a couple of days while they finish their work.

“It’s likely that the Senator will take a few days off at home before returning to the Senate,” the spokesman added.

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