Just days after undergoing surgery for prostate cancer, U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks plans to return to Washington D.C. to cast a vote in favor of the proposed Republican tax bill.

The Republican Congressman from Alabama had surgery Friday at St. Vincent Hospital in Birmingham to remove his prostate. The surgery came two days after Brooks announced on the House floor that he has been diagnosed with "high-risk prostate cancer."

"I'm going to get up about 4 o'clock in the morning, and if my body feels up to the travel to and from Washington, I will make a day trip in order to make that vote," Brooks said of Tuesday's vote on the Republicans' tax bill. Brooks spoke by phone with AL.com Monday evening. He was at home in Huntsville recuperating from his surgery. He said he's doing well considering the circumstances. He went for two walks, totaling a little over two miles, with his wife around their neighborhood today.

Brooks said he expects the House vote on the tax bill will happen around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The congressman plans to vote in favor of the bill, which he says will bring "significant tax cuts for American tax payers and a restructuring of business taxes so we can be more competitive internationally and keep more jobs in America."

Brooks will return to Alabama after Tuesday's vote because he has a follow-up procedure on Wednesday in Birmingham. After that, he won't be cleared again for travel until at least Friday. That's also significant because lawmakers must pass a budget by the end of the day to avoid a possible government shutdown.

"If we have a significant vote on Friday or Saturday--if there's a government shutdown risk -- I should be medically cleared to travel to make those votes," Brooks said. "The House of Representatives will do its job. The problem is and has always been in the Senate, where the democrats, if they don't get exactly what they want, have the ability to shut down the government." In the Senate, 60 votes are required to pass a budget -- not just a majority of 50 votes.

Brooks said he's doubtful there will be a government shutdown, but he's preparing in case he needs to fly to Washington later this week.

'As good as you could hope'

"I was a whole lot better off before I had cancer," Brooks told AL.com "That is your starting point: no cancer vs cancer. But compared to where I could be, the news has been pretty good."

The congressman has undergone two tests -- CT and nuclear bone scans -- to look for any cancer that may have spread from his prostate.

"Both disclosed no cancer beyond the prostate," he said. "That's not to say there is none; that's just to say if there is, it isn't coalesced in a size large enough to be able to detect."

During Friday's surgery, Brooks said, Dr. Scott Tully removed his prostate and took tissue samples to send to a lab. Those samples didn't detect any cancer outside the prostate.

"Things have gone about as good as you could hope for them to go -- given the gosh-awful bad-news starting point of having prostate cancer in the high-risk category," Brooks said.

'Scary' numbers

Brooks said 47 percent of people with the "high risk" diagnosis he got have cancer that goes beyond the prostate. His test results haven't suggested his cancer reached other parts of his body. For those whose cancer does spread, they have a 71 percent chance of dying within five years, he said. Unless, that is, the cancer is caught and treated early.

"If the cancer is confined to the prostate, you've got close to 100 percent probability of living a normal life span when you have a prostatectomy like I did," he said.

Brooks said he's waiting on results of additional testing. Parts of his abdomen and lymph nodes were removed for analysis. Even if those results, which are expected to be available in about a week, are clear, the congressman said he'll have precautionary testing done once every three to six months.

In 2016, prostate cancer killed 26,730 American men, according to the American Cancer Society.

"Those numbers are scary," Brooks said.

But, the congressman said he's hopeful and optimistic because his situation could have been worse.

"The outpouring of support for myself and my family from people in the Tennessee Valley, the state of Alabama, and for that matter, nationally, has just been overwhelming," said. "I want everybody to know how appreciative we are for the thoughts and the prayers. Every single one has been heartwarming.

"I would be remiss if I did not add that Dr. Scott Tully has been excellent and the staff at St. Vincent Hospital has been excellent to work with," the congressman added. "They've all been wonderful."