Republican Senator Mitch McConnell returns to US Senate three months after hospitalisation

Veteran US Senator Mitch McConnell has returned to the Senate to vote for the first time in three months after being hospitalised in June for a fall at home.

The Republican's absence from the Senate generated criticism and online speculation after he initially remained quiet for weeks about his condition.

The 84-year-old eventually disclosed a month later that he had been "briefly unconscious" due to the fall and had also been treated for mild pneumonia in the hospital.

Mr McConnell briefly addressed the media from a wheelchair outside the Senate chamber, where he was seen smiling, but speaking slowly and with some difficulty.

After joking about how many reporters he expected to be there, he said he was back in the Senate to work on a pending farm bill and because of his ongoing interest in NATO and "backing up our good friends who are totally in the fight against the Russians".

Mr McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader, is due to retire at the end of January after four decades in office, having previously said he is determined to finish out his term.

McConnell suggests he is still recovering

In a statement issued before his remarks, Mr McConnell said that he may still miss some votes due to health issues.

He said that he is "still not quite back to 100%", but had assured Senate leader John Thune that he would do his best to be present for tough votes when needed as he continues with physical therapy.

"My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven't made it any easier," Mr McConnell said in the statement.

His absence has highlighted increasing public concern over the age of senators and their capacity to carry out duties.

When speculation about Mr McConnell's condition intensified, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear issued a public letter asking him to update the public in a "transparent manner".

McConnell's history of health problems

Mr McConnell had polio in his early childhood and has long acknowledged difficulty in walking and climbing stairs as an adult.

A statement from the Capitol physician in July said he has "experienced several falls through the year" due to his "post-polio condition," and his physical therapy was aimed at reducing the risk of him falling again.

A comprehensive evaluation also determined that he had "no fractures, cardiac abnormalities, stroke, tumour or haemorrhage".

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Mr McConnell - who was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and served as Republican leader from 2007 to 2025 - has seen his health visibly decline in his last years in office.

He was hospitalised with a concussion in March 2023 after falling in a Washington hotel, missing several weeks of work.

After he returned, he twice froze up during news conferences, before falling and spraining his wrist while walking out of a Republican luncheon.

(c) Sky News 2026: Republican Senator Mitch McConnell returns to US Senate three months after hospitalisation