Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, 84, was seen having difficulty speaking during a Wednesday meeting on Capitol Hill.
McConnell, who returned to Capitol Hill on Monday following an absence of more than 90 days, appeared glassy-eyed during the Farm Bill markup. Video showed two colleagues seemingly helping direct him, telling him it was time to vote and advising him how to cast his vote. He was told to vote “Aye” on the legislation.
The longtime Kentucky senator, who led Senate Republicans for nearly two decades, has faced persistent health concerns during his final term in office.
McConnell fell on June 14 and was briefly hospitalized. He was not seen publicly again until this week.
In a post on X on Monday, McConnell described his recovery as “a long and often frustrating process,” adding that “the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier.”
“I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me,” he wrote.
He said he was “really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor” and thanked Kentuckians for their messages of support.
Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee John Boozman greets Senator Mitch McConnell as he arrives for an Agriculture Committee meeting on Wednesday in Washington, DC. McConnell returned to the Agriculture Committee after a three-month absence, casting a vote to advance the Agricultural Act of 2026
Senator Mitch McConnell talks to his Chief of Staff Terry Carmack during a Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday in Washington, DC
McConnell spoke with reporters outside the US Senate chamber on Monday, though congressional rules prohibit recordings in the hallway where he made his remarks. The Agriculture Committee session on Wednesday marked the first time he was widely heard since returning to Capitol Hill.
Weeks after his hospitalization, he spoke with some of his congressional colleagues by phone and indicated that he was on the mend and looking forward to returning to work soon.
However, both Democrats and Republicans alike were not satisfied with his explanations.
RELATED: Lena Dunham Reveals First Words to Her Newborn Baby Born via Surrogate
After further pressure mounted to provide ‘proof of life,’ evidence McConnell released a photo of himself and his wife from the hospital, with a newspaper that was dated July 12, which some initially suspected was AI generated.
He disappeared for weeks after providing the photo, until his office put out a second picture on July 27.
Weeks later, it was revealed that he was discharged from the hospital and would continue his recovery at home.
‘Senator McConnell continues his recovery from a fall at home in June,’ a comment from his doctor attached to the photograph said.
‘Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation.’
Another statement from his office revealed that he had also had a mild case of pneumonia.
McConnell, who is not seeking re-election in this year’s midterms, has been dogged by health scares throughout his final term.
Even before his fall earlier this summer, he frighteningly froze in a May hearing on Capitol Hill, raising alarms about his health and even prompting an attack on his staff by President Donald Trump.
Robert Karem, a staffer on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Defense Subcommittee, interrupted McConnell to tell him that Democratic Senators Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, as well as Louisiana Republican John Kennedy, all still had questions. The hearing went on for 30 minutes after Karem’s interjection.
Karem was attacked by Trump as a ‘bum’ in a Truth Social post after a clip of the staffer’s interaction with the senator made the rounds online.