In 2017, Congressman Steve Scalise was gravely wounded in an ambush at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia. He was standing at second base when he was struck once in the left hip and collapsed as the shots rang out. Scalise was evacuated by a U.S. Park Police helicopter to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where he underwent surgery. The bullet had traveled across his pelvis, fracturing bones, injuring internal organs, and causing severe bleeding. His condition was initially listed as "critical," and he received multiple blood transfusions and underwent several surgeries to repair internal damage and stop the bleeding. Scalise remained in critical condition for several days, but his condition gradually improved, and he was discharged from the hospital in July 2017.

In August 2023, Scalise announced that he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. He issued a statement saying that he was incredibly grateful that the cancer was treatable and that he would tackle it with the same strength and energy as he had tackled past challenges.