Without specifying when he will return to Senate, Mitch McConnell confirms he will continue his recovery from home

Mitch McConnell was discharged from the rehabilitation center where he had been staying since mid-June after suffering a fall. As the Republican senator from Kentucky noted in a statement, he will continue his recovery from home.  However, he did not specify when he would return to the Senate.

After several weeks of uncertainty and speculation about his health, McConnell released a statement accompanied by a photograph of him with his wife, Elaine Chao, from the rehabilitation center. In the message, he revealed that he had briefly lost consciousness, although medical tests ruled out fractures, a stroke, and a heart attack.

The Republican's last in-person vote was on June 11. Since then, he has missed dozens of votes on the Senate floor.

Now, the longtime senator confirmed in a statement the next steps in his recovery: "Earlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home."

"On the advice of my doctors, I'll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I'll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business," he added.

In February 2025, McConnell announced that he would not seek reelection in 2026, meaning his current term will be the last of a four-decade career in the Senate. Following a heated Republican primary in Kentucky, Rep. Andy Barr won the nomination and is expected to succeed him in the Senate beginning in January 2027.

McConnell is among the longest-serving senators in the nation's history, with 41 years and eight months of service. The record is held by Robert Byrd, a Democrat from West Virginia, who died while in office in June 2010. He served for 51 years and 5 months.