Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was taken to a local Washington-area hospital on Wednesday after becoming lightheaded at the Senate gym during the morning.
Schumer was treated for dehydration, according to a spokesperson for the Democratic leader, and returned to the Capitol for work.
“Leader Schumer was at the Senate gym this morning and got lightheaded,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, he went to the hospital to be treated for dehydration and is now back at work in the Capitol.”
“He wants to remind everyone to drink some water and stay out of the heat,” the spokesperson added.
The nation’s capital is experiencing an intense heat wave this week, with temperatures hovering near triple digits in recent days and not set to dip until Friday.
The hospital visit comes amid a key week at the Capitol as Democrats are fighting Republican leaders to keep key provisions out of their mammoth tax package through meetings with the Senate parliamentarian.
Schumer’s episode also marks the first health-related incident for a Senate leader this year after Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) experienced multiple falls and freeze-ups during his final years atop the Senate GOP conference.
