As per a social media update from her staff, the 67-year-old senator began to feel unwell while at the Capitol and was subsequently transported to George Washington University Hospital for medical care. She is expected to stay there overnight for monitoring.
“While working at the Capitol today, Senator Smith began to feel unwell,” the post stated. “She consulted the Capitol physician, who advised her to undergo a more comprehensive examination at GW hospital.”
“As a precaution, they are keeping her overnight for observation,” the post continued. “She anticipates returning to work very soon.”
Senator Smith’s absence implies that Democrats may not achieve full attendance during the vote-a-rama, thereby diminishing the likelihood of a tie. Consequently, Vice President JD Vance is not anticipated to cast a tie-breaking vote on the proposal, unlike Tuesday night, when his vote was necessary to resolve a procedural impasse and advance the measure.
Earlier this year, Smith declared that she would not seek reelection next year.
In the meantime, Republican state legislators in Minnesota have strongly criticized Democratic Governor Tim Walz after it was disclosed that he allocated $430,000 of taxpayer funds in preparation for a House congressional hearing examining the “sanctuary city” policies of blue state governors.
Invoices acquired by the Star Tribune indicate that Walz’s office engaged the esteemed global law firm K&L Gates to aid in the preparations for his testimony scheduled in mid-June before the GOP-controlled House Oversight Committee, which centered on inquiries regarding his and other blue state governors’ sanctuary city policies.
In the month of May alone, Walz accumulated approximately $232,000 in legal expenses, with an average hourly rate of around $516, as per the invoices obtained by the Star Tribune.
The publication further disclosed that K&L Gates collaborated with Walz’s office from April 10 until the June 12 hearing, with the legal preparations costing taxpayers a total of $430,000.
Minnesota Representative Jim Nash, one of the two Republicans on the state’s Legislative Advisory Commission, raised concerns about why Walz opted to hire external counsel rather than utilizing the state’s attorneys and public relations professionals.
“A half a million dollars of taxpayer money to prepare the governor to return to his former constituency seems excessive, especially considering that the Attorney General for the state of Minnesota served in Congress alongside Walz, and the two could have certainly coordinated to address their needs,” he remarked.
Nash further expressed his intention to investigate the invoices obtained by the Star Tribune more thoroughly.
Republican Minnesota state Representative Harry Niska remarked that there “seems to be no valid legal justification for the state incurring nearly half a million dollars in what essentially amounts to public relations consulting.”
“Tim Walz spent 12 years in Congress — he is well-acquainted with those hearing rooms, and he certainly knows how to comport himself in such environments. Therefore, why did the governor find it necessary to allocate $430,000 of taxpayer funds to a private firm for ‘preparation’ for this hearing?” Niska inquired.
“To clarify, it seems that the state has no valid legal interest in accumulating nearly half a million dollars for what essentially constitutes PR consulting as he attempts to establish the foundation for a presidential campaign that is clearly going nowhere,” Niska remarked.
“It is utterly unacceptable to require diligent Minnesota taxpayers to fund the governor’s personal ambitions on a national political scale.”
In reaction to the backlash regarding Walz’s choice to engage K&L Gates, the governor and his staff refrained from offering a straightforward justification. Instead, they shifted the responsibility onto the Republicans, accusing them of conducting a hearing that was merely for the purpose of “grandstanding,” as reported by the Star Tribune.
