Sen. James M. Inhofe has returned to work on Capitol Hill as of today, according to his office.

The Oklahoma Republican had been sidelined while recovering from emergency quadruple bypass surgery that took place last month in Tulsa, Okla.

Inhofe’s return to Washington comes in plenty of time for the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee to help lead the work on floor consideration of the fiscal 2014 defense authorization bill.

Senate Democratic leadership has expressed optimism about the bill coming up before the Thanksgiving recess.

“Today is the Senator’s first day back in Washington, D.C. He has had a strong recovery and is looking forward to working alongside Chairman Levin when the Senate takes up the annual NDAA,” Inhofe Communications Director Donelle Harder said in an email.

The Oklahoman had reported that the surgery came about after medical tests revealed what the newspaper described as “extreme blockage in five arteries.”