Fetterman “will be back soon,” top aide says amid depression treatment

Washington — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman “will be back soon,” his chief of staff said Monday, sharing photos of the senator who has been undergoing treatment for clinical depression. 

“Productive morning with Senator Fetterman at Walter Reed discussing the rail safety legislation, Farm Bill and other Senate business,” Adam Jentleson tweeted. 

Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland in mid-February for inpatient care at the recommendation of the attending physician of the U.S. Congress. 

Sharing photos of Fetterman in a purple Carhartt hoodie and shorts, Jentleson said the senator is “well on his way to recovery” and wanted the share how “grateful he is for all the well wishes.” 

Fetterman’s wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, reshared Jentleson’s post and wrote “Society’s expectations and traditional gender roles play a part in why men are less likely to discuss or seek help for their mental health. As always, John continues to challenge the conversation. So human, so kind, so cute.”

Last week, Fetterman was among a bipartisan group of six seniors who introduced rail safety legislation after a toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. He also sits on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, which is tasked with drafting the Senate’s farm bill. 

Fetterman was sidelined for two months during the 2022 campaign after suffering a stroke and had surgery to implant a pacemaker. Before he was admitted to Walter Reed, he was hospitalized after feeling light-headed while at a Senate Democratic retreat in Washington. He was discharged two days later after tests ruled out a new stroke and he showed no evidence of seizures, according to his office.