With Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R) recovering from heart surgery, Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) was named Wednesday to temporarily take the New Yorker’s slot on the Intelligence Committee.

Boehlert underwent triple-bypass surgery Tuesday at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, Boehlert checked into the hospital last week after heart abnormalities were discovered during a regular checkup. The surgery was performed after tests revealed blockages in several arteries.

Tuesday’s surgery was described as routine, and the 68-year-old Boehlert is expected to return to work by late October.

In the meantime, Blunt will fill Boehlert’s seat on the Intelligence panel. Boehlert’s eight-year term on the committee will be up at the end of the 108th Congress, so a permanent replacement will be appointed to his seat in January.

— Ben Pershing