- Sen. Patrick Leahy, as the Senate's president pro tempore, is third in line for the presidency.
- As President Biden deals with "very mild" COVID-19 symptoms, Leahy is recovering from hip surgery.
- At the age of 79, Biden is younger than two of the top three people in line to succeed him.
A lot would have to go wrong if the duties of the US presidency passed, in the line of succession, to Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat.
Leahy, as the Senate's president pro tempore, is third in line for the presidency. But as President Joe Biden deals with "very mild" symptoms from COVID-19, Leahy is recovering from surgery he had on Tuesday.
At the age of 79, Biden is younger than two of the top three people in line to succeed him.
Leahy is 82, born on March 31, 1940, just five days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
The White House announced Harris, traveling on Thursday in North Carolina, had tested negative for COVID earlier in the morning and had last met with Biden on Tuesday. Pelosi had COVID in April but has recovered. She spoke on the House floor on Thursday ahead of the chamber passing a bill that would protect access to contraceptives.
Leahy's Tuesday surgery follows a June 30 operation to repair and replace a fractured hip that he suffered from a fall at his house in McLean, Virginia, his office says. Though the senator has continued to make progress in his rehabilitation, his surgical team decided it was necessary to perform the additional procedure to "help advance his recovery."
"Senator Leahy was back in his rehabilitation room by Tuesday evening and is once again working diligently with the physical therapists to return home as soon as possible," says an office update, as of the morning of July 20. Leahy's spokesperson said Thursday that he had no additional updates.
The eight-term Democrat, first elected in 1974, is one of the Senate's longest-serving members in the chamber's history. He announced in November 2021 that he would not seek reelection this year, saying "it's time to come home."
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