Mitch McConnell health update says he is not cleared for Capitol return
Mitch McConnell remains in rehab after a June fall and will miss Kentucky’s Fancy Farm picnic, his office and Senate doctors said.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
A new Mitch McConnell health update from the Kentucky Republican’s office says the senator is still in rehabilitation after a fall at home in June and has not been medically cleared to return to in-person work at the Capitol.
McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement released Monday that he is continuing physical therapy under his doctors’ direction as he works toward resuming his full Senate and Kentucky schedule. He also said he will miss this Saturday’s Fancy Farm picnic, the annual Kentucky political gathering he had hoped to attend.
“Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to make it to Fancy Farm, Kentucky this Saturday,” McConnell said, according to the statement released by his office. He added that there was “no place I’d rather be” than the event and said he is looking forward to returning to the Senate and Kentucky soon.
When will Mitch McConnell return to the Senate?
McConnell’s office did not give a date for his return. A statement from the Office of the Attending Physician said McConnell “continues his recovery from a fall at home in June” and is “not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.”
The physician’s office said that since leaving hospital care, McConnell has been following an intensive rehabilitation plan. The statement said that includes multiple therapy sessions each day meant to rebuild strength and lower the risk of another fall.
McConnell’s office also released a new photo of him with his wife, Elaine Chao, as he continues care at the rehabilitation facility.
What happened to Mitch McConnell?
McConnell was hospitalized on June 14 after a fall at his home, according to his office. In a July 12 update, he said he had been “briefly unconscious” after the fall.
In that earlier statement, McConnell said he had not suffered a heart attack or stroke and said doctors had not found tumors or hemorrhages. Monday’s update was the first public health statement from his team since then, according to NBC News.
The absence has already kept McConnell away from Senate floor action. He has missed the last 38 votes, according to an NBC News review.
The Senate is scheduled to remain in session for the next two weeks before lawmakers leave for the summer recess. McConnell’s office has not said whether he could return before that break begins.
What is Fancy Farm?
Fancy Farm is an annual political picnic in Kentucky and a familiar stop for the state’s elected officials and candidates. McConnell’s statement described it as a place he wanted to be this weekend, while saying his rehab schedule prevents the trip.
McConnell is nearing the end of his Senate career. He is scheduled to retire when his current term ends at the close of this Congress and is not seeking re-election in November.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.