Louisiana Congressman’s Cancer in Remission, House Speaker Announces in Message of Support

WASHINGTON D.C. (KPEL News) - Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise, one of the most powerful men in the U.S. House of Representatives, has been out of the House while undergoing cancer treatment.

But as of Monday morning, it was announced that he was officially in remission and returning to work in the lower chamber this week.

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"I am incredibly grateful we were able to detect this early and that this cancer is treatable," said at the time of his diagnosis. "I am thankful for my excellent medical team, and with the help of God, support of my family, friends, colleagues, and constituents, I will tackle this with the same strength and energy as I have tackled past challenges."

According to a statement and show of support put out by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is also from Louisiana, Scalise will be welcomed back by the House.

"We’re grateful the House will be welcoming back this week my good brother and fellow Louisianan @SteveScalise, who is now in complete remission from cancer," Johnson said on Twitter, also posting a photo with Scalise. "Steve is a fighter and God has answered our prayers. Looking forward to having him back in the trenches this week!"

It's not the first major health scare for Scalise since he's been in office. He was shot in an attempted assassination in Virginia in 2017.

Scalise has said his recovery was a tough journey, but he made it through with help from his family.

Scalise’s recovery was difficult, he admitted in interviews, and required a series of complex, but ultimately successful surgeries to repair the damage. He says while he was out for months, he was just itching to get back to DC and continue his work as Majority Whip.