U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty’s office has no timeline for when she will return to work after a medical procedure, as Congress deliberates on legislation to limit presidential war powers amid growing concern the United States will strike Iran.
Beatty, 75, who represents Columbus and surrounding areas in the U.S. House, was among four Democrats not present for the June 11 vote on the rescission package after a medical procedure caused her to miss a key narrow vote on funding for NPR and PBS as well as foreign aid already approved by Congress.
Beatty’s office previously told The Dispatch that the representative missed the vote “due to a medical procedure that could not be delayed.” Her office did not provide additional information about the procedure, saying only that Beatty, 75, “is in good health.”
Representatives for Beatty’s office declined to provide The Dispatch for a timeline when she plans to returns to work, only saying she “is looking forward to returning to the House as soon as her recovery provides for her to return.”
Beatty’s office did not return requests for additional information seeking a specific timeline or details about what medical procedure she had.
The absence of Beatty and her Democratic colleagues proved consequential. If they had voted with their party, the proposal would have failed.
Beatty missed the key vote on June 11 after President Donald Trump asked Congress earlier in June to claw back $9.4 billion of federal funding to reflect a portion of the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, USA Today previously reported.
If passed by the Senate, the claw-back package would strip funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and from foreign aid agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Health Organization, according to USA today.
Beatty has previously criticized Trump and Musk’s efforts with DOGE to strip funding from USAID, saying in February on X that “it’s a reckless power grab that threatens JOBS and BUSINESSES in Ohio and across the country.”
The rescissions package now goes to the U.S. Senate. Passing it would require only a majority vote in the Senate, unlike most policies, which require a 60-vote threshold to overcome the filibuster.
The proposed $9.4 billion in claw-backs are a sliver of the $175 billion DOGE says it has cut from the federal government. Musk, who departed the administration in late May, initially aimed to cut $2 trillion.
Beatty’s absence also comes as Congress is debating Trump’s war powers after Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia introduced a resolution to prevent Trump from using military force against Iran without Congress’s authorization as an escalating battle between Israel and Iran raised fears of broader conflict, USA Today reported.
Israel and Iran have engaged in days of missile strikes on each other’s territory, with Israel saying it is aiming to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapon capabilities. On June 18, Trump teased a possible U.S. strike on Iran, as the country’s supreme leader warned of “irreparable damage” if America joined Israel’s air war.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Rep. Joyce Beatty’s office mum on return to work after missing key funding vote
Reporting by Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
