White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wished Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) a "speedy recovery" Tuesday following the announcement of his cancer diagnosis earlier in the day.
Scalise, the House Majority Leader, announced that he had started treatment for multiple myeloma, a treatable form of blood cancer. He wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that he planned to continue working through his treatment.
"I am incredibly grateful we were able to detect this early and that this cancer is treatable," Scalise wrote. "I am thankful for my excellent medical team, and with the help of God, support of my family, friends, colleagues, and constituents, I will tackle this with the same strength and energy as I have tackled past challenges."
"Obviously, that's devastating news," Jean-Pierre told reporters when asked about Scalise's diagnosis. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the congressman and his family."
Jean-Pierre noted that Scalise, who was shot by a gunman targeting Republican lawmakers back in 2017, has "gone through a lot over the past couple of years" but did not say if President Joe Biden planned to speak with the GOP leader anytime soon.
"I don't have a call to lay out or to announce at this time, but that is very sad news," she continued. "Clearly, we are hoping for a speedy recovery for him."
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You can watch Tuesday's briefing in full below.