Mitch McConnell Returns to Senate After 92-Day Absence and 60 Missed Votes
Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to the U.S. Senate on Monday after a 92-day absence, casting his first floor vote since June after missing 60 votes and spending much of the summer recovering from a fall that left him hospitalized.
The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican arrived in a wheelchair on September 14 and voted to advance the nomination of Matthew R. Byrne to serve as a federal judge in the Southern District of Ohio.
“It’s time to get back to work,” McConnell told reporters outside the Senate chamber.
McConnell had not appeared at the Capitol since June 11. Three days later, he was hospitalized after falling at his Washington home and briefly losing consciousness. He was later treated for mild pneumonia and spent more than seven weeks at a rehabilitation facility before continuing physical therapy at home.
McConnell said Monday that he is still recovering.
“My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier,” he said. McConnell said he is “still not quite back to 100%” but intends to be present for closely contested votes.
His prolonged absence and limited public appearances prompted growing questions about his health and whether he would return to Washington before his final Senate term ends in January. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear pressed McConnell for more information during the summer and said the senator should demonstrate that he remained able to serve or resign.
McConnell remained involved in some Senate work while recovering, and his absence highlighted the narrow role proxy voting can play when a senator cannot appear in person.
During an August 6 Senate Agriculture Committee meeting, Chairman John Boozman cast proxy votes authorized by McConnell as lawmakers considered the Agricultural Act of 2026.
Proxy votes covered some committee business, including amendments. Reporting legislation to the full Senate required a majority of committee members to be physically present.
McConnell and Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama were absent when the committee tried to advance the farm bill. The measure failed 10-11, leaving Republicans short of the support needed to move it forward.
Boozman recessed the meeting rather than ending it, allowing lawmakers to return to the bill after the summer break. McConnell said Monday that the farm bill is among the issues he plans to work on following his return.
Floor votes work differently. Each senator casts his or her own roll-call vote, so McConnell’s absence left Republicans without his vote on the Senate floor throughout the summer.
McConnell remained Kentucky’s senator while he recovered. The Constitution and Senate rules give the chamber tools to address absent members, including the power to compel attendance when a quorum is at stake, but medical leave carries no fixed expiration point for a Senate seat.
Kentucky law would have governed the next step if McConnell had left office. State lawmakers changed the Senate vacancy process in 2024, removing the governor’s power to appoint a temporary replacement and requiring a special election instead.
His return comes as senators resume regular business following the summer recess. The Senate is also scheduled to hold a key procedural vote Tuesday on legislation establishing a federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrency markets, one of several measures where the size of the Republican vote could matter.
McConnell, who led Senate Republicans from 2007 through 2024, is not seeking another term. He has said he intends to serve until his current term ends in January 2027.
