Mitch McConnell returns to US Senate after three-month absence

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkSenator Mitch McConnell returns home following a vote on the Senate floor after being out of the public eye for more than three months in Washington, DC [Daniel Heuer/Reuters]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 15 Sep 202615 Sep 2026United States Senator Mitch McConnell has returned to Congress, casting his vote for the first time since he was hospitalised three months ago after a fall in his home in Washington, raising questions about his ability to serve.“I must admit. After two years of – decades, actually – dodging your questions, I wasn’t sure how many of you would be here today. But I’m glad to see you. Time to get back to work, finish the job for this Congress,” McConnell told reporters outside the Senate chamber on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Prolonged hospitalisation of US Republican Mitch McConnell raises questionslist 2 of 3What happens if Mitch McConnell is unable to finish his US Senate term?list 3 of 3US Senator McConnell says he’s been discharged from rehabilitation centreend of listThe disappearance from public view of the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican raised many questions within the Republican Party.But he put the speculation to rest on Monday in a statement on social media announcing his return.“Today, I’ll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June,” he wrote on X. “I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues.”He said he is “not quite back to 100%”, adding that the lingering effects of “childhood polio” made his recovery difficult, but he assured his colleagues that he will do his “best to be present” for tough votes “when our conference needs me”.There were growing worries within the Republican Party that his absence would negatively affect it, as the party holds a narrow 53-47 majority in the Senate.Democrats have already used his absence to pass a resolution against US President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, as four Republicans also broke from the party to support the resolution.McConnell is the longest-serving Senate leader in US history. He announced early last year that he will not be standing for an eighth term.Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, raised questions about McConnell’s ability to continue serving his final term that ends January 2027.