Watch: Democratic Congressman Suffers Troubling Medical Incident, Freezes During House Floor Speech
A congressman apparently suffered a medical episode Monday while speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Rep. John Larson, a Democrat from Connecticut, froze for a short time while giving a speech about Social Security, according to the CTMirror.
The episode was later attributed to an adverse reaction to a new medication, according to the congressman’s office.
“[P]art way through his remarks, the congressman, 76, went abruptly silent for about 25 seconds, except for a few words,” the Mirror reported.
“As he slowly resumed his speech, his time had expired, and he yielded back the floor.”
76 year old Democratic congressman John Larson suffers medical episode while speaking on the House floor, freezing for nearly a minute. pic.twitter.com/i7Ibf4XHRV
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) February 11, 2025
Larson “had tests administered by the House attending physician out of an abundance of caution,” WVIT-TV, a Connecticut NBC affiliate, reported.
The congressman later resumed interaction at meetings in his office, and he was engaged and alert, a spokesperson told the news outlet.
WFSB-TV, a Hartford news outlet, said that Larson thanked his supporters for their concern following the incident.
The incident was eerily similar to episodes suffered by then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, an 82-year-old Kentucky Republican.
In July 2023, McConnell froze in mid-sentence during a Capitol Hill news conference. He remained standing, but after about 20 seconds of silence, he was escorted away by his fellow lawmakers.
Flag: McConnell just stopped abruptly during his opening statement during the gop leadership presser and appeared to be unable to restart talking. He then stepped away and walked away with Barrasso: pic.twitter.com/f1kFUjggzm
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) July 26, 2023
Again in August, he fell silent during questioning by news reporters.
“Did you hear the question, senator?” one aide asked him, according to NBC News.
Other questions had to be repeated, to which McConnell replied briefly or declined to answer.
BREAKING: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appears to FREEZE again while taking questions. pic.twitter.com/MVZNsuq838
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 30, 2023
“Leader McConnell felt momentarily lightheaded and paused during his press conference today,” a spokesperson said, according to NBC.
McConnell later stepped away from Senate leadership, though he remained in office.
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