Rep. McEachin hasn’t returned to Capitol Hill since August surgeries

WASHINGTON — Virginia Democratic Rep. Don McEachin is still recovering from an August medical procedure, and hasn’t returned to Capitol Hill since then, his office told the Mercury on Friday.

McEachin, who represents the 4th District, is “currently recovering from a non-life threatening surgery,” his spokeswoman Ariana Valderrama said in an email. “He is in constant communication with his staff and eager to be back once the doctor discharges him.”

The Washington Post reported in September that McEachin underwent two surgeries on Aug. 15 and Aug. 29. His office did not say what specific health problem the surgeries were meant to address.

The Richmond Democrat, who turned 58 this month, has suffered from a host of health problems in recent years.

He was treated for rectal cancer in 2014, after which he developed a fistula — a medical condition that in McEachin’s case was an abnormal connection between the bladder and colon, the Richmond Times Dispatch reported last year.

In April, McEachin was hospitalized for a blood clot.

McEachin last voted in the House on July 25, ahead of the month-long August recess. He has missed 53 House floor votes in September and October.

He introduced legislation this week along with House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) that would authorize a business mentorship program within the Department of Homeland Security.

McEachin also this week issued a statement mourning the death of Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, who was chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

“As a young Congressman, Mr. Cummings served as an inspiration to me, his daily actions and words reminding me why we are here, always trying to make the world a better place and the country to live up to its ideals,” McEachin said Thursday in a statement.