WASHINGTON, D.C. (LEX News) — U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said Monday he will cast his first Senate vote since suffering a fall in June, marking his return to the Senate floor after a months-long recovery.
In a statement released Monday, the Kentucky Republican said he is looking forward to returning to the Capitol and rejoining his colleagues after an extended absence.
“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.
McConnell said his recovery has been “a long and often frustrating process” and noted that the lingering effects of childhood polio have complicated his rehabilitation.
“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,” he said.
The 84-year-old senator has been away from the Senate since being hospitalized June 14 after a fall at his Washington residence. McConnell later disclosed that he was briefly unconscious following the incident and was also treated for mild pneumonia during his recovery. He subsequently spent weeks in a rehabilitation facility before continuing physical therapy at home.
McConnell, who stepped down as the Republican leader after the 2024 election cycle but remains a prominent voice in the Senate, said he intends to continue serving Kentuckians while completing his recovery.
“Elaine and I are very grateful for all the continued well wishes from our fellow Kentuckians, and I’m glad to get back to more of business as usual on their behalf this month,” McConnell said.
His return comes as lawmakers face a busy fall legislative schedule and after months of questions about when the longtime Kentucky senator would resume voting in Washington.
US Senate candidate Charles Booker released a statement following McConnell's return Monday.
"After 92 days of unnecessary silence and uncertainty, Mitch McConnell was wheeled back into the Senate Chambers as if nothing happened. If anyone else was a no-call, no-show for over three months, they wouldn't have a job to return to.
For more than 3 months, a bipartisan coalition called for McConnell to be transparent and show Kentuckians the respect and accountability we deserve, and the response was an offensive silence that fueled so much uncertainty.
It never needed to come to this, and the disregard for Kentuckians speaks to the very corruption that Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike are all sick of.
As Senator, I will never turn my back on Kentucky and I will always show up for our commonwealth."
