McConnell ‘not yet cleared’ to leave rehab to return to Congress
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) continues his recovery after a fall that led to hospitalization in June. He remains in rehab and has not yet been cleared to leave, focusing on physical therapy to rebuild strength and reduce fall risks, partly due to his childhood polio. McConnell has missed 38 Senate votes as his hospitalization and will miss the upcoming kentucky tradition,the Fancy Farm Picnic. Despite his absence, he expressed his intention to return to work soon. His health status has prompted criticism from some Democrats, notably Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who called for him to resign if he cannot be more obvious about his condition. The Office of the Attending Physician reports that McConnell is making progress, but he is not yet able to resume his duties fully. his absence has stalled some legislative activities in the narrowly divided Senate.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the Office of the Attending Physician provided a brief statement update on the senator’s health Monday morning, saying he will miss Kentucky’s annual St. Jerome Fancy Farm Picnic as he remains in rehab.
“I’m still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors’ orders,” McConnell said in his statement. “Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to make it to Fancy Farm, Kentucky this Saturday.”
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McConnell, 84, has been absent from the upper chamber since he was hospitalized in Washington, D.C., on June 14 after taking a fall. After speculation rose online about his absence, the Kentucky Senate titan addressed his hospitalization, noting earlier in July that he didn’t have a concussion or break any bones when he fell, but was “briefly unconscious” and also dealt with a “mild case” of pneumonia over the past several weeks.
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In his Monday update, McConnell said he is “looking forward to getting back to the Senate and to Kentucky soon.” The Fancy Farm picnic, set for Aug. 1, is a staple of Bluegrass State politics, as the state’s political leaders gather for pork and mutton in the Southwest Kentucky community. McConnell has attended the event around 30 times since taking office, according to WKU radio.
The Office of the Attending Physician, which provides medical aid to members of Congress and Supreme Court justices, said in a statement released Monday that McConnell is continuing the recovery process from his fall and is not yet cleared to leave rehab. The OAP said office physicians are visiting “with the Senator every day.”
“Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls,” the OAP said in a statement on McConnell. “His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility. He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.”
WHAT LEGISLATION HAS MITCH MCCONNELL’S ABSENCE STALLED IN THE SENATE?
McConnell’s statement comes during a wave of backlash from his Democratic colleagues, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) recently calling on the senator to resign if he cannot be more publicly transparent about his health.
McConnell has missed 38 votes on the Senate floor since his hospitalization in mid-June. Republicans hold a slim 53-47 majority in the upper chamber.
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