Mitch McConnell returning to the Senate after three-month absence due to health issues

Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters/File

Sen. Mitch McConnell is returning on Monday to Capitol Hill for the first time after a three-month absence due to health issues.

He was seen leaving his home in a wheelchair en route to the Capitol.

“Today, I’ll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June. I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues,” the GOP senator from Kentucky said in a statement.

“My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier.I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me.”

McConnell was hospitalized on June 14, but did not disclose the reason for the hospitalization at the time, leading to speculation over his health status.

Several weeks later, in July, the 84-year-old senator released a statement revealing he had suffered a fall and later contracted pneumonia. The former Senate GOP leader said he had been “briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital.”

On August 6, McConnell announced he would continue his recovery at home after a stint in a rehabilitation facility following his hospitalization.

The Senate returned to session in Washington, DC, on Monday after a five-week summer recess. In response to multiple questions from CNN on when McConnell would return and whether he would be back when the Senate reconvened, his office did not provide a definitive date .

The Kentucky Republican’s lengthy absence from Capitol Hill and the delay in disclosing why he had been hospitalized led to widespread speculation about his health and calls for greater transparency.

In July, Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear sent a letter to McConnell, saying that residents of the state “have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and wellbeing, and ability to hold office in the United States Senate.”

“As Governor, I request that you fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health,” he wrote.

McConnell announced last year he would not run for reelection in 2026. Republican Rep. Andy Barr, endorsed by Trump, will take on Democratic former state lawmaker Charles Booker in the November election to replace the longtime senator.

CNN previously reported that emergency responders took McConnell to an ambulance on a stretcher after being called to his home in June for a report of an unconscious person, according to video of the incident and an eyewitness account.

In McConnell’s July statement, he said he was “briefly unconscious” after he fell, but said his doctors “confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages.”

Along with his own statement, McConnell included a note from the attending physician of Congress, who described the injuries after the fall at his Washington home as “minor.” The physician added that “McConnell has experienced several falls throughout the year that have been attributed to his post-polio condition.”

The former Senate GOP leader is a childhood polio survivor, and has faced a series of health issues in recent years, including multiple falls. In 2023, he froze midsentence during a press conference in the Capitol.

In July, McConnell indirectly addressed why it took so long to share what sent him to the hospital.

“You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older. Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct — I can’t help it,” he said.

He added, “You’re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you. And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work. But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.”

伊丽莎白·弗兰茨/路透社/档案照片

参议员米奇·麦康奈尔因健康问题缺席三个月后，将于周一重返国会山。

有人看到他坐着轮椅离开家，前往国会大厦。

“今天，我将投出自六月份严重摔倒以来在参议院的首次投票。我非常期待回到参议院，见到我的同事们，”这位来自肯塔基州的共和党参议员在一份声明中说。

“我的康复过程漫长而又充满挫折，童年时期患小儿麻痹症的后遗症更是雪上加霜。我还没有完全恢复，但我向图恩主席保证，我会遵照医生的建议继续进行物理治疗，并在大会需要我的时候，尽我所能出席重要的投票。”

麦康奈尔于 6 月 14 日入院治疗，但当时并未透露入院原因，引发外界对其健康状况的猜测。

几周后，也就是7月份，这位84岁的参议员发表声明，透露他摔倒后感染了肺炎。这位前参议院共和党领袖表示，他“曾短暂失去意识，随后被送往医院”。

8月6日，麦康奈尔宣布，在住院治疗后，他将在康复机构接受一段时间的治疗，之后将回家继续康复。

经过五周的夏季休会，参议院于周一在华盛顿特区复会。针对CNN多次询问麦康奈尔何时返回以及是否会在参议院复会时到场，其办公室均未给出确切日期。

这位肯塔基州共和党人长期缺席国会山，并且迟迟没有公布他住院的原因，导致外界对他健康状况的广泛猜测，并呼吁提高透明度。

7 月，肯塔基州民主党州长安迪·贝希尔致信麦康奈尔，称该州居民“越来越担心您目前的健康状况和福祉，以及您在美国参议院任职的能力”。

“作为州长，我请求您向肯塔基州人民全面通报您目前的健康状况，”他写道。

麦康奈尔去年宣布他不会参加2026年的连任竞选。获得特朗普支持的共和党众议员安迪·巴尔将在11月的选举中与民主党前州议员查尔斯·布克角逐，以取代这位长期担任参议员的席位。

CNN此前报道称，根据事发时的视频和目击者的描述，6月份接到报警称麦康奈尔家中有人失去意识后，急救人员用担架将麦康奈尔抬上救护车。

麦康奈尔在7月份的声明中表示，他摔倒后“短暂失去意识”，但他的医生“证实我没有骨折或脑震荡。我没有心脏病发作或中风。我没有任何肿瘤或出血。”

除了自己的声明外，麦康奈尔还附上了国会主治医生的一份说明。医生称，麦康奈尔在华盛顿家中摔倒后所受的伤“较轻”。医生还补充说，“麦康奈尔今年摔倒过几次，这都归因于他的小儿麻痹症后遗症。”

这位前参议院共和党领袖幼年时曾患小儿麻痹症，近年来饱受健康问题困扰，多次跌倒。2023年，他在国会大厦举行的新闻发布会上突然停顿，无法继续发言。

7 月，麦康奈尔间接回应了为何过了这么久才公布他入院的原因。

“你们都知道，我们这代人往往不愿袒露随着年龄增长而来的脆弱一面。即使在公众视野中，我也有同样的本能——我控制不住自己，”他说。

他补充道：“你们理应期望你们的代表们努力为你们服务。我决定在今年一月任期结束时退休，部分原因就是想坦诚面对参议院工作的繁重。但我还有未竟的事业要代表你们完成，我一定会尽全力完成你们选举我来承担的工作。”