Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., arrives to speak on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi underwent hip replacement surgery over the weekend after falling while on an official trip to Europe marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.
“Speaker Pelosi is grateful to U.S. military staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center at Landstuhl Army Base and medical staff at Hospital Kirchberg in Luxembourg for their excellent care and kindness,” spokesperson Ian Krager said in a statement released Saturday.
The surgery announcement came one day after the California Democrat’s office said she had sustained an undisclosed “injury” while in Luxembourg. The Associated Press reported that Pelosi had fallen.
Krager said in the statement released over the weekend that following surgery Pelosi was “enjoying the overwhelming outpouring of prayers and well wishes and is ever determined to ensure access to quality health care for all Americans.”
Pelosi, 84, became a member of Congress in June 1987 and is currently the fifth-most-senior member of the House.
Kentucky Republican Rep. Hal Rogers, New Jersey Republican Rep. Chris Smith, Maryland Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer and Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur are the only House members who have been in the chamber longer than Pelosi, according to the House Clerk’s office.
Pelosi was the top Democrat in the House from January 2007 through January 2023, holding the speaker’s gavel when Democrats were in the majority and the role of minority leader when the party was in the minority.
She stepped aside from leadership at the beginning of this Congress, but remains a member of the House and a significant part of Democratic politics.
Voters in California’s 11th Congressional District, which covers parts of San Francisco, reelected Pelosi to another two-year term in the House during November’s elections.