Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi undergoes hip replacement after sustaining injuries in Europe
FILE - Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during an event in Washington, June 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Susan Walsh]
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi underwent a successful hip replacement surgery in Germany after sustaining an injury during a congressional trip to Luxembourg, a spokesperson said on Saturday.
Ian Krager, the spokesperson, described Pelosi as “well on the mend.”
“Speaker Pelosi is grateful to U.S. military staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and medical staff at Hospital Kirchberg for their excellent care and kindness. Speaker Pelosi is enjoying the overwhelming outpouring of prayers and well wishes and is ever determined to ensure access to quality health care for all Americans,” Krager added.
The former speaker was taken by MEDEVAC to Landstuhl, Germany, a defense official told NBC News, after Pelosi was injured Friday in Luxemburg.
In a statement Friday, Krager told reporters that Pelosi, 84, “sustained an injury during an official engagement and was admitted to the hospital for evaluation.”
Krager added, “Speaker Emerita Pelosi is currently receiving excellent treatment from doctors and medical professionals. She continues to work and regrets that she is unable to attend the remainder of the CODEL engagements to honor the courage of our servicemembers during one of the greatest acts of American heroism in our nation’s history.”
Friday’s statement did not include any details about Pelosi’s injury or how she sustained it.
Pelosi was first hospitalized in Luxembourg while on a trip with over a dozen other members of Congress to honor the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.
One of the oldest members of the House, Pelosi stepped down from her speakership position in 2022, ushering in a wave of generational change among the party’s leadership.
First elected in 1987, Pelosi made history in 2007 when she became the first female speaker of the House.
She was just re-elected to another term in November, which would allow her to serve through 2026. Pelosi has not announced whether she plans to seek another term in two years.
News of her injury came just days after outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., fell during a lunch with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill. McConnell, 82, sprained his wrist and sustained a minor cut to the face in that incident, according to his office.