Rep. John Larson stalled and seemingly froze mid-speech on the House of Representatives floor, according to an alarming clip of the moment — which his team claimed to be an “adverse reaction” to a newly prescribed medication.
The 76-year-old Democrat from Connecticut was in the middle of giving an emboldened speech on the House floor about concerns over Social Security after the Trump administration recently granted Elon Musk access to sensitive payment information through the US Treasury Department.
He suddenly came to a complete halt midway through what was supposed to be a five-minute speech, freezing as he seemingly choked on his words.
“Don’t worry, no one on the Republican side of the House and U.S. Senate who control both the House and Senate is going to speak up—” Larson said before he abruptly cut himself off, freezing as he stared dead ahead and tried to gather his bearings.
“And challenge us…” Larson slowly continued, his words slurring slightly. “But we need to….protect Americans privacy and…their social security.”
Larson gradually recovered from there, but there was a stark difference between how he started and ended, seemingly losing all fervor as he tried to fight through whatever reaction his medication may have caused.
His office quickly addressed the blip as the clip started to circulate on X.
“Congressman Larson appreciates the well wishes from everyone who has reached out. This afternoon, he had what was likely an adverse reaction to a new medication and is having tests administered by the House Attending Physician out of an abundance of caution,” his team wrote in a statement.
“He later participated in multiple meetings in his office and was alert and engaged. The Congressman remains in touch with his staff and in good spirits,” they added.
Alarming medical scares from aging politicians have grown increasingly common among the geriatric members of Congress, particularly in the Senate where the average senator is approximately 65 years old, according to the Pew Research Center.
The most frequent to experience medical issues is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who turns 83 in 10 days. McConnell has a penchant for tumbling on the floor, having notably taken three particularly public falls recently — once in the Senate chambers that resulted in a sprained wrist and twice just last week right in front of reporters.
Following his most recent accidents, McConnell, who also had his own mid-speech freeze-up, has taken to using a wheelchair more often to help with his deteriorating mobility sparked by remnants of polio in his left leg.
