<p>Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) cast his first Senate vote since a fall in June, stating in a Monday evening statement that he would "do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me." </p>
<p>His return to the Senate follows speculation regarding his health after an ambulance was called to his home in June. His office later disclosed that he had fallen and contracted pneumonia while hospitalized. McConnell spent the August recess recovering in Kentucky and faced pressure to return to Washington to complete the final weeks of his term, as he is set to retire at the end of the current Congress.</p>
<p>“Today, I’ll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June,” McConnell said in a statement. “I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues.”</p>
<p>At 84 years old, McConnell described his recovery as a “long and often frustrating process,” complicated by the “lingering effects” of childhood polio. He has experienced repeated falls due to this condition and has faced increased scrutiny regarding his health after episodes of freezing in front of cameras during the last Congress.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img alt="Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)" class="wp-image-4726907" height="683" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26257798102960-e1789425298433.jpg?w=696" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)</figcaption></figure>
<p>In his statement, McConnell noted that he was not “quite back to 100%.” He addressed reporters upon arriving in a wheelchair at the Senate. “After two years, two decades, actually, of dodging your questions, I wasn’t sure how many of you would be here today,” McConnell said, according to The Hill. “So I’m glad to see you. Time to get back to work, finish the job of this Congress.”</p>