Politics & Government

Bruised but feisty, Harry Reid returns to Senate floor

By William Douglas - McClatchy Washington Bureau

February 02, 2015 05:28 PM

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., 75, talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 22, 2015, for the first time since he suffered an eye injury and broken ribs on New Year's Day, when a piece of exercise equipment he was using broke and sent him smashing into cabinets at his new home. Reid says his re-election bid in 2016 is on track even though he's been sidelined by an exercise accident.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., 75, talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 22, 2015, for the first time since he suffered an eye injury and broken ribs on New Year's Day, when a piece of exercise equipment he was using broke and sent him smashing into cabinets at his new home. Reid says his re-election bid in 2016 is on track even though he's been sidelined by an exercise accident. AP
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., 75, talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 22, 2015, for the first time since he suffered an eye injury and broken ribs on New Year's Day, when a piece of exercise equipment he was using broke and sent him smashing into cabinets at his new home. Reid says his re-election bid in 2016 is on track even though he's been sidelined by an exercise accident. AP

Bruised and unbowed, Senate Minority Harry Reid returned to the Senate floor Monday a week after undergoing surgery to repair his right eye and facial bones injured in a home workout accident in Nevada last month.

Wearing a bandage over his eye and sporting dark bruises on the right side of his face, Reid, D-Nev., declared that ‘It’s really good to be back.’

‘I want to express my appreciation to my colleagues who have been so kind and thoughtful during my recovery time,’ he said.

Reid said he monitored what was going on in the Senate from his Washington, D.C. condo during his convalescence. He wasn’t thrilled with what he saw, particularly senators approving the passage of the Keystone XL pipeline bill last week.

‘I’m sorry to say that we spent a month on a bill calling for the importation of oil from a foreign country and then importing that oil outside America,’ Reid said

He also took Republicans to task for bringing up an amended House of Representatives bill that would provide $40 billion to fund the Department of Homeland Security through September but also reverse some of President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

If Congress fails to approve a DHS budget by Feb. 27, the agency could face a partial shutdown. Congressional Democrats, and some Republicans, have criticized the House bill for linking homeland security funding to the immigration issue.

‘Why should we be dealing with issues that have nothing to do with homeland security?’ Reid said. ‘We should pass a homeland security bill with no strings attached to it. That’s where we’re going to wind up.’

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