{"id":19241,"date":"2026-07-27T22:02:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T17:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=19241"},"modified":"2026-07-27T22:02:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T17:02:41","slug":"mcconnell-releases-health-update-saying-hes-not-ready-to-return-to-work-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=19241","title":{"rendered":"McConnell releases health update, saying he\u2019s not ready to return to work yet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"anchor-3667c3\" class=\"body-graf\">WASHINGTON \u2014 Sen. Mitch McConnell\u2019s office released a health update Monday, saying he\u2019s still not ready to return to in-person work in the Capitol after his June 14 hospitalization.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-34e95b\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cI\u2019m 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\u2019 orders,\u201d McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement. \u201cUnfortunately, that means I won\u2019t be able to make it to Fancy Farm, Kentucky this Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"inline-video inline-video--in-body inline-video--vertical-video\" data-testid=\"inline-video\" id=\"anchor-1725bc\">\n<div class=\"inline-video__background\">\n<div class=\"inline-video__player\">\n<div class=\"styles_gridStackWrapper__Z_AMc styles_verticalVideoContainer__AndXW vertical-video-container inline-article-vertical-video paused\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-testid=\"gamma-video-player\">\n<div class=\"info-layer styles_infoLayer__3khlf\">\n<p><span class=\"styles_caret__Aqe2z icon icon-play\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-testid=\"caret\"\/><span data-testid=\"card-duration\">01:06<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"styles_controlContainer__XmNB0 styles_inlineVideo__unIwH\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Video controls\">\n<p class=\"styles_title__0GjQf styles_inlineVideoInitial__c2yet\">Thune says he defers to McConnell and team on health updates<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"styles_gradientOverlay__6My_d\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span aria-label=\"Elapsed time 00:00\">00:00<\/span><span aria-label=\"Remaining time 00:00\">00:00<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p id=\"anchor-16a073\" class=\"body-graf\">McConnell, who said he\u2019s in rehabilitation care after a fall at his home last month, added that there\u2019s \u201cno place I\u2019d rather be\u201d than the annual picnic in Kentucky this weekend and \u201cI hate that I\u2019ll miss the fun this year.\u201d He said he\u2019s \u201clooking forward to getting back to the Senate and to Kentucky soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-3ca95b\" class=\"body-graf\">McConnell\u2019s office did not provide a timeline for his return. He has missed the last 38 votes on the Senate floor, according to an NBC News review. The chamber is scheduled to be in session for the next two weeks before summer recess.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-e8ac74\" class=\"body-graf\">His office released a new photo of him with his wife, Elaine Chao.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__FvnTh styles_medium__MEKii styles_portrait__NEQhG\" id=\"anchor-679a4a\"><picture class=\"styles_image__i32F7\" data-testid=\"picture\" data-flavor=\"fit\" data-original-height=\"812\" data-original-width=\"660\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-07\/260727-mitch-mcconnell-mn-1145-5d4209.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/260727-mitch-mcconnell-mn-1145-5d4209.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-07\/260727-mitch-mcconnell-mn-1145-5d4209.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/260727-mitch-mcconnell-mn-1145-5d4209.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/260727-mitch-mcconnell-mn-1145-5d4209.jpg\" alt=\"Sen. Mitch McConnell and his wife, Secretary Elaine Chao, on Sunday, July 26, 2026\" height=\"812\" width=\"660\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__TCewG\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Sen. Mitch McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao, as he continues care at a rehab facility Sunday.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Courtesy Mitch McConnell<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"anchor-2ea7e9\" class=\"body-graf\">McConnell\u2019s office also released a statement from the Office of the Attending Physician, saying that the senator \u201ccontinues his recovery from a fall at home in June,\u201d adding: \u201cHe is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-b405aa\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cSince his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls,\u201d the OAP statement read.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-3faeef\" class=\"body-graf\">It is the first update from McConnell\u2019s team <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/mitch-mcconnell-says-suffered-fall-was-unconscious-first-statement-hos-rcna587224\" target=\"_blank\">since July 12<\/a>, when he first disclosed the details of what led to his hospitalization. He said he suffered a fall and was \u201cbriefly unconscious,\u201d but never had a heart attack or stroke, nor any tumors or hemorrhages.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-0daa92\" class=\"endmark body-graf\">McConnell is scheduled to retire when his term expires at the end of this Congress, as he isn\u2019t running for re-election in November.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON \u2014 Sen. Mitch McConnell\u2019s office released a health update Monday, saying he\u2019s still not ready to return to in-person work in the Capitol after his June 14 hospitalization. \u201cI\u2019m 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&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_nbcnews-fp-1200-630,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/260727-mitch-mcconnell-mn-1145-5d4209.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}