Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) cast his first Senate vote since a June fall, releasing a Monday evening statement promising to “do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me.”

His return to the Senate follows immense speculation, and conspiracy theories, about his health. Little was disclosed about his condition after an ambulance was called to his home in June. Later, his office disclosed that he had fallen and subsequently contracted pneumonia in the hospital. He spent the August recess recovering in Kentucky, but has faced growing pressure to return to Washington to serve out the final weeks of his term. McConnell is retiring at the end of the current Congress.