In the News

Alana Wilson gave blood Thursday for the first time in her life.

The shooting earlier this month of Rep. Steve Scalise was enough to spur the Republican National Committee staffer to put aside her fear and donate a pint of blood.

“It felt like it was an attack on our whole family here at the House of Representatives,” Wilson said minutes after participating in the American Red Cross blood drive in a House office building organized in honor of Scalise and others injured in the June 15 shooting. “It was upsetting. Obviously, everyone wants to do something that they can to help Congressman Scalise’s team and the Capitol Police officers as well as the staffers and Matt Mika, who were injured last week.”

“If this doesn’t get me to donate blood, I don’t know what will,” Wilson said.

Wilson was among the dozens of Capitol Hill staffers, members of Congress and others who showed up Thursday to give blood. Vice President Pence showed up at another capitol blood drive two days earlier, and the American Red Cross is setting up again Friday in a Senate office building.

The blood drive is one of several efforts in the nation’s capital to show support for Scalise, the House majority whip who was shot while practicing with Republican teammates for a charity baseball game on a field in a Virginia suburb.

A week earlier, spectators broke attendance records at the Congressional Baseball Game at Nationals Stadium where Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, was supposed to play second base. Fans sported Louisiana State University gear. (Scalise is a LSU grad.)

Players wore LSU caps. Some fans toted signs including one that read, ”Let’s Geaux.’’ Others had on “Team Scalise” T-shirts.

Just this past Wednesday, the Congressional Women’s Softball Gamesoftball team also drew a record crowd. The teams led a moment of silence for Scalise and others injured. 

In the week since the shooting, lawmakers - Democrats and Republicans - stood on the floor to wish their colleague well and praise the quick actions of the police officers.

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., invoked Scalise’s name Thursday as he introduced a measure that would designate July 12 as a National Day of Civility. Johnson said he turned to Scalise for support earlier this year when he urged his freshman class to sign a civility pledge.

Johnson, who donated blood later that day, said he’s sure the outpouring of support will help in Scalise’s long road to recovery.

 “If anybody can (recover), he will,” said Johnson, who went to see Scalise at the hospital this week. “He’s got the strongest spirit of anybody I know. If I was advising the doctors I would say, ‘Whatever you think the recovery period is, cut it in half.' That’s what Scalise is going to do.” 

Scalise’s condition has steadliy improved since he was transported by helicopter to MedStar Washington Hospital Center where the director of trauma care said he was initially at an "imminent risk of death."

Hospital officials have said Scalise’s condition has improved from critical to serious to fair. They said Scalise, who has undergone several surgeries, will probably be in the hospital for a while, but he should be able to eventually return to work.

“I think that an excellent recovery is a good possibility,” Dr. Jack Sava, director of trauma care at the hospital, told reporters last Friday.

Members of the Louisiana delegation have visited Scalise at the hospital individually,  but plan to do something as a group to support their fellow Louisianan.