Wife, Rep. Debbie Dingell, says she is taking it day by day

Rep. John Dingell, the former elder statesman of the House of Representatives and onetime chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, is in hospice care, according to the Associated Press.

Dingell, 92, was the longest-tenured House member when he retired at the end of 2014, having been first elected in 1955 (he was also a page in the House in 1937).

Dingell won his seat in a special election after the death of his father, Rep. John Dingell Sr.

Dingell Jr. was succeeded in the House by his wife, Debbie, who tweeted the following Wednesday (Feb. 6).

But John Dingell had something to say about the situation as well, tweeting Wednesday:

John Dingell was famous in the House for his "Dingellgrams" (a request for info from an agency), and for asking questions in hearings to which he wanted only yes or no answers, though usually he wound up getting "yes, but..." or "no, but..." answers of somewhat greater length.

He was one of broadcasters' most stalwart defenders in Congress. He pushed to ensure broadcasters were treated fairly in the first DTV transition in 2009 and what would be the second one—the TV station repack—following the incentive auction.