Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to Capitol Hill on Monday for the first time in three months following a series of health problems, arriving at the Senate after spending much of his recovery away from Washington.
The Kentucky Republican was seen leaving his home in a wheelchair before heading to the Capitol, where the Senate returned to session following a five-week summer recess, according to CNN.
“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," McConnell 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 without initially disclosing why, prompting questions about his health. Several weeks later, he revealed that he had suffered a fall and subsequently developed pneumonia. He said at the time that he had been “briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital."
On August 6, McConnell said he would continue recovering at home after spending time at a rehabilitation facility.
His prolonged absence and the lack of an immediate explanation for his hospitalization fueled speculation about his condition.
McConnell, 84, said in July that he had been “briefly unconscious" after his fall, but emphasized that doctors had ruled out several serious conditions.
His statement 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."
McConnell also released a note from the attending physician of Congress, who described the injuries from the fall at his Washington home as “minor." The physician said, “McConnell has experienced several falls throughout the year that have been attributed to his post-polio condition."
The longtime Senate Republican leader survived polio as a child and has experienced multiple health problems and falls in recent years. In 2023, he twice appeared to freeze while speaking to reporters, including one incident in which he stopped speaking midsentence during a Capitol news conference.
McConnell has already announced that he would not seek reelection in 2026. Republican Rep. Andy Barr, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, will face Democratic former state lawmaker Charles Booker in November in the race to succeed him.
CNN previously reported that emergency responders transported McConnell to an ambulance on a stretcher after being called to his home in June following a report of an unconscious person. The account was based on video of the incident and an eyewitness.
The June hospitalization was not McConnell's only recent medical episode. Before the summer incident, he spent eight days under hospital supervision in February while dealing with severe flu-like symptoms.
McConnell's health had already drawn considerable attention during the year before he announced his retirement from the Senate. After one of his episodes of freezing while speaking, his office said he had no plans to resign and that he appreciated the support of his colleagues and “plans to serve his full term in the job they overwhelmingly elected him to do."