This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, was recovering in a University Hospital room Thursday after getting foot surgery to address complications from a previous injury.
He'll remain at the hospital for a few days, according to a news release from Chaffetz's office, just as Congress is negotiating a spending bill in an attempt to avoid a government shutdown.
Chaffetz expects to be sidelined for three or four weeks while he recovers from the surgery, in which 14 screws and a metal plate were removed from his foot. He had shattered several bones in his foot 12 years ago, he said, when he fell off a ladder while working in his garage. The pain recently flared up again, according to the congressman, and doctors removed the hardware to reduce the risk of an infection.
Chaffetz told The Salt Lake Tribune on Wednesday night that he would return to Congress after the foot surgery.
"Absolutely. No doubt about it," he said.
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