Senator Mitch McConnell has been discharged from hospital but remains at a rehabilitation centre and is not yet medically cleared to resume Senate duties. The Office of the Attending Physician says he is undergoing multiple daily physical therapy sessions and is seen by physicians each day. Doctors noted that residual weakness from childhood polio continues to affect his mobility, and no timeline has been given for his return to the Senate.
McConnell Discharged From Hospital but Not Yet Medically Cleared to Return to Senate
[Office of Mitch McConnell]
US Senator Mitch McConnell has been discharged from hospital and is now receiving care at a rehabilitation center, but his doctors say he is not yet "medically cleared" to resume his full duties in the Senate.
Rehab Update and Ongoing Care
This is the second public update from the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican since his mid-June hospital admission following a fall and what physicians described as a mild case of pneumonia. His office released a statement on Monday saying he continues an intensive program of physical therapy but provided no timetable for a return to Washington.
"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 the statement shared by his office.
Alongside the statement, McConnell's office published a photograph said to have been taken on 26 July showing the senator smiling beside his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. The office also said he will be unable to attend an upcoming celebration in western Kentucky.
The senator was seen on 4 June leaning on his staff to support himself [Getty Images]
Medical Details From the Office of the Attending Physician
The Office of the Attending Physician (OAP), which provides medical services to members of Congress and Supreme Court justices, said clinicians visit McConnell daily to review "all aspects of his rehabilitation care." Since his discharge, he has been following a strenuous course of physical therapy with multiple sessions per day aimed at rebuilding strength and reducing the risk of future falls.
Doctors noted that McConnell's residual weakness from childhood polio remains a meaningful factor affecting his mobility. "He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office," the OAP added.
McConnell has been absent from the Senate for several weeks, and limited communications from his office since mid-June have spurred public and social media speculation about his condition. The senator, the longest-serving Senate party leader in US history, has faced several health challenges in recent years, including a fall in 2024 and a recent hospital stay for the flu.
His office has said he will retire at the end of his current Senate term in January.
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