Rep. Lou Correa, a California Democrat who missed Tuesday’s vote on an effort to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, said he had undergone emergency open-heart surgery.
In a statement posted Wednesday, Correa thanked people for their prayers and well wishes. He said the surgery took place on Nov. 10, went well, and that he is now recovering.
Correa said he would return to Washington when doctors clear him to travel. For now, he plans to keep working from his district with his staff. He also thanked the medical team for its care and support, signing off with “Nos vemos pronto,” or “See you soon” in English.
Correa experienced a heart attack over the weekend. He had voiced support for impeaching Hegseth in a post on Tuesday, despite being unable to attend the vote.
“Hegseth has dragged us into another endless war,” Correa wrote. He also accused the secretary of dismissing experienced generals who disagreed with him and the president, and of allowing discrimination in the military against women, LGBTQ+ service members and others. Correa said troops deserve a defense secretary who puts their safety first and upholds the Constitution.
The House voted 211-204 on Tuesday to send the impeachment articles to the Judiciary Committee, avoiding a vote on the articles themselves. Eleven Democrats and seven Republicans did not vote. Rep. Thomas Massie, the Republican lawmaker who introduced the articles, was the only House Republican to oppose the move to set the impeachment effort aside.
