McConnell returns to the Senate for the first time since his June hospitalization
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky returned to the Senate to vote on Monday for the first time in three months, looking noticeably more frail after he was hospitalized for a June fall in his home.
McConnell's lengthy absence from the Senate generated a flood of criticism and online speculation, as he initially remained quiet for weeks about his condition. The 84-year-old senator eventually disclosed a month later that he had been “briefly unconscious” due to the fall and had also been treated for mild pneumonia in the hospital.