USA14 September, 20262 min read
Sen. Mitch McConnell Returns to U.S. Senate After June Hospitalization Following Fall
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McConnell returned to the Senate floor after a three-month health-related absence following a June fall. He arrived in a wheelchair and appeared thinner, slower, not yet 100% recovered.
McConnell returns to vote
Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to the U.S. Senate on Monday for the first time since he was hospitalized in June following a fall, and he said, "Today, I'll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June."
McConnell, 84, arrived at the Capitol in a wheelchair and briefly addressed journalists outside the Senate chamber before heading to the floor to cast his first vote since June 11.
ABC7 New York said McConnell was hospitalized on June 14 for reasons that were initially undisclosed, and later statements from the senator revealed he had suffered a fall that left him hospitalized.
The BBC reported McConnell last voted on 11 June and returned on the first day of the Senate reconvening after a five-week break, after being admitted to hospital after a fall three months ago.
NBC New York said McConnell was back to work on a pending farm bill and also pointed to his ongoing interest in NATO and "backing up our good friends who are totally in the fight against the Russians."
Health transparency and debate
McConnell’s return ended a prolonged absence that had sparked widespread speculation about his health, with the BBC saying demands from Democrats for transparency followed his hospitalization.
In a statement on Monday, McConnell said, "My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process," and he added he was "still not quite back to 100%."
CNN reported that after months of speculation and calls for greater transparency, McConnell did not answer questions from reporters, including whether he should have been more transparent about his health during his absence.
Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear pressed for updates, and CNN said Beshear sent a letter asking McConnell to fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of his health.
NBC New York said the concerns over McConnell’s absence highlighted increasing public concern about the age of lawmakers and their capacity to carry out their duties, as speculation grew so intense that Beshear issued a public letter asking for a "transparent manner."
What his return changes
McConnell’s first vote after his June hospitalization came as senators reconvened in Washington, DC, after a five-week summer recess and began a final stretch of legislative work before November’s midterm elections. ABC7 New York said McConnell would be focused on the farm bill, which previously failed to advance out of committee due to McConnell's absence. Deseret News reported that the Senate Agriculture Committee planned to vote on the farm bill on Wednesday after it was stalled earlier this summer while McConnell was gone, and it said McConnell’s vote would be crucial to get the GOP-led proposal out of committee.
CNN said McConnell’s return coincided with the Senate’s first day back after the five-week break, and it described his term expiring in January and that he was not seeking re-election. CNBC reported Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority and said McConnell’s return restores another available vote for Republicans as they work through the final months of his Senate career before his retirement in January.