By The Washington Times (Politics) | Created at 2026-08-06 20:09:29 | Updated at 2026-08-06 21:34:47
1 hour ago
Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office announced Thursday that he will remain at home in August after being released from a rehab center.
“Earlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home,” Mr. McConnell said in a statement. “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.”
The Senate is scheduled to return from its August recess on Sept. 14.
Mr. McConnell, an 84-year-old Kentucky Republican, has not made a public appearance since June 14, when he was brought to the hospital from his D.C. home after he suffered a possible heart attack.
First responders found him unconscious, per police audio.
A July statement from his office attributed his hospitalization to a fall and acknowledged that he was “briefly unconscious” and had dealt with a “mild case of pneumonia.”
Since his admission to the hospital, Mr. McConnell’s office has released two images of him. Both show him in bed with his wife, Elaine Chao, at his bedside.
Mr. McConnell has represented Kentucky in the Senate since 1985 and was a long-time Republican leader in the chamber until he stepped down in 2024. He is not seeking reelection.
Mr. McConnell has a long history of health issues, having suffered from polio as a child.
In recent years, he has had multiple falls, some of which have led to hospitalizations.
In 2019, his shoulder fractured in a fall at his home in Kentucky, and in 2023, he fell at a hotel in Washington and was hospitalized for a concussion.
Additionally, Mr. McConnell froze mid-sentence in two press conferences in 2023, falling silent.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, called on Mr. McConnell in a July letter to “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign.”
