WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman didn’t need an acceleration lane to get up to speed after returning to Capitol Hill this week following a two-month absence. He hit the gas as soon as he came to town.

The freshman Pennsylvania Democrat’s arrival at the Capitol for the first time since he left the hospital happened in full view of waiting TV cameras. He spoke at a news conference pushing legislation to ban lawmakers and their families from owning or trading stocks or other equities. He joined his fellow Senate Democrats at their weekly closed-door luncheon. He questioned witnesses before the Senate Banking Committee and wielded the gavel at a Senate Agriculture subcommittee hearing on food stamps.

And he made repeated treks between his office and the Senate floor to vote, wearing his signature hoodie and shorts when he wasn’t in a jacket and tie.

“Mr. Fetterman would like to show he’s back on his game, that he’d like to resume his full duties,” said Glenn Totten, a longtime Democratic consultant. “But I don’t think he would be doing this if he didn’t think he could handle it. It’s his own assessment of his condition. One has to defer to his assessment.