Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will spend the coming weeks recovering from a fall in the comfort of his home, releasing a Thursday statement announcing that he’d been released from a rehabilitation center earlier in the day.
“Earlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home,” McConnell said. “Elaine and I are grateful for the many well wishes and support from friends, colleagues, and Kentuckians, and for the attentive care I’ve received from excellent doctors, nurses, therapists, and hospital staff.”
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McConnell, a childhood survivor of polio, has suffered repeated falls and was hospitalized in June for another incident. He is retiring at the end of the year, but his absence has complicated Senate Republicans’ agenda before the August recess. The farm bill failed in committee on Thursday without his tie-breaking vote, while Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, has a narrower path to confirmation on the Senate floor.
In his statement, McConnell, 84, did not indicate whether he would return to the Capitol in September.
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“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,” he said.
The early days of McConnell’s absence were marked by a lack of transparency about his condition, prompting Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) to call for his resignation last month unless he provided “proof” of his fitness for office. McConnell has released a couple of statements since his hospitalization and a picture of himself and his wife, Elaine Chao, at the rehabilitation facility.
In mid-July, he revealed that he was briefly unconscious when transported to the hospital and came down with a “mild” case of pneumonia. McConnell experienced multiple freezing episodes in front of the cameras before he stepped down as Senate GOP leader in 2024.
