McConnell says fall caused hospitalization and he is rebuilding strength

Sen. Mitch McConnell said Sunday that a fall led to his hospitalization and that he is now recovering in a rehabilitation facility. The update matters in the Senate because his absence, along with the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, narrows the Republican margin as the party tries to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.

McConnell, an 84-year-old Kentucky Republican, said in a statement that he was “briefly unconscious” around the time he was taken to the hospital. He said doctors ran a series of tests to determine what caused the fall and also treated him for mild pneumonia.

McConnell said his doctors found no broken bones, concussion, heart attack, stroke, tumors or hemorrhages. He said he is “regaining my strength” but cannot return to the Senate “quite yet.”

The statement was McConnell’s first detailed public account of his condition since his June 14 hospitalization, according to The Associated Press. His office had previously said only that he was receiving excellent care and was recovering.

McConnell said he had been reluctant to discuss the episode publicly because people from his generation can be uncomfortable acknowledging the vulnerability that comes with aging. He said he feels that same impulse even after decades in public life.

The senator also said he would keep working with his staff on Senate business while away from the Capitol. His statement included a smiling photo with his wife, Elaine Chao, which The Associated Press described as an answer to online speculation that he had died or was incapacitated.

The congressional physician’s office said Sunday that McConnell has had several falls this year connected to his post-polio condition. The office said physical therapy is intended to lower the risk of future falls.

The physician’s office said a broad review by a multidisciplinary medical team found no fractures, cardiac problems, stroke, tumor or hemorrhage. McConnell had polio as a young child and has long said he has difficulty walking and climbing stairs as an adult.

Concern about McConnell’s condition had grown during the weeks without a detailed update. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, issued a public letter last week asking McConnell to give the public a transparent account of his health, according to The Associated Press.

McConnell’s absence comes as Republicans hold a reduced working majority in the Senate. The Associated Press reported that Graham’s death and McConnell’s recovery leave Republicans with 51 senators present, compared with 47 members of the Democratic caucus.

That margin could make Senate business harder for Republicans as they seek to increase military funding, move Trump’s priorities and confirm his nominees, according to The Associated Press.

McConnell said he intends to serve until his term ends in January. In his message to Kentuckians, he said he has unfinished work and plans to complete the job voters elected him to do.

McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and served as the chamber’s Republican leader from 2007 until last year, according to The Associated Press. He has continued as a rank-and-file senator and has often used a wheelchair while attending Senate sessions.

His health has drawn attention before. The Associated Press reported that McConnell was hospitalized with a concussion in March 2023 after falling at a Washington hotel, later froze during two news conferences, and fell again last year while leaving a Republican luncheon, spraining his wrist.

Republicans have nominated Rep. Andy Barr to run for McConnell’s seat, while Democrats have nominated former state lawmaker Charles Booker, according to The Associated Press.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.