Senator Mitch McConnell broke weeks of public silence on Sunday, releasing a written statement confirming that a fall last month left him briefly unconscious and that he has since been treated for pneumonia.
McConnell, 84, said his doctors have confirmed he did not break any bones, suffer a concussion, have a heart attack or stroke, or have any tumors or hemorrhages.
"But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I've also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia," McConnell said.
According to CBS News, McConnell has been hospitalized since June 14. On that same date, emergency medical personnel responded to an unconscious person at his home, according to a public EMS dispatch call the outlet reviewed earlier this month. His doctors are still working to determine the cause of the fall, McConnell said, and he is doing everything they ask to speed his recovery.
McConnell said he has moved from hospital care to a rehabilitation center. His office confirmed he is continuing physical therapy to reduce his risk of future falls.
His medical team has not cleared him to return to the Senate floor to vote. McConnell said he has continued working with his staff and Senate colleagues, and GOP leaders said they spoke with him by phone earlier this week.
"You're right to expect your representatives to work hard for you," McConnell's statement said. "And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work. But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do."
McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, has had a series of health incidents in recent years. In 2023, he was hospitalized after a fall that caused a concussion and later appeared to freeze during two separate public appearances. He suffered minor injuries in another fall in 2024. In February of this year, he spent more than a week in the hospital for flu-like symptoms, and was seen with a bandaged hand during a committee hearing in May.
His statement was released alongside a photograph of himself and his wife, Elaine Chao.
