McConnell still not medically cleared to leave rehab, will miss Fancy Farm picnic

The latest update

Senator Mitch McConnell, 84, is still not medically cleared to leave a rehabilitation facility and return to the Senate, his office said on Monday, six weeks after a fall at his Capitol Hill home. The statement was accompanied by a photograph of the Kentucky Republican smiling in a chair beside his wife, Elaine Chao, taken on July 26. McConnell said he is following doctors' orders with intense physical therapy.

“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.”

The attending physician of Congress added that McConnell is visited daily by physicians from the congressional unit and has maintained a strenuous course of rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day. The physician noted that McConnell's childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility.

The fall and its aftermath

McConnell was hospitalized on June 14 after a fall that left him briefly unconscious. His office disclosed on July 12 that he had been moved to a rehabilitation center and had also dealt with a mild case of pneumonia. Until Monday's update, he had not been seen publicly since mid-June, and the long silence had fueled social media conspiracies about his condition. Multiple lawmakers and allies have said they have spoken with him during his convalescence.

Senate business disrupted

McConnell has missed 38 Senate votes since his hospitalization. His absence complicates matters for Republicans, who hold a narrow majority, particularly on the Appropriations Committee where his vote would be important to advance spending bills. The Senate is working toward its August recess, and McConnell will not return this week.

Fancy Farm picnic missed

McConnell confirmed he will not attend the annual Fancy Farm picnic in western Kentucky on the first Saturday in August, an event he has attended for more than four decades. The picnic is a staple of Kentucky politics.

“There's no place I'd rather be on the first Saturday in August than with the good people of western Kentucky, feasting on pork and mutton.”

He added that he hated to miss the fun and sent his best wishes to the St. Jerome community.

Looking ahead

McConnell announced last year that he would not seek re-election and is set to retire from the Senate at the end of his term in January. His health has been under scrutiny since a serious fall in 2023 and subsequent episodes where he appeared to freeze during public appearances. No timeline has been given for his return to the chamber.