Senator Mitch McConnell Returns to US Senate on September 14 After Three-Month Absence Following June Fall, Casts First Vote Since Hospitalization in Wheelchair

US Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky returned to the Senate on Monday September 14 to cast his first vote in three months, appearing noticeably more frail and using a wheelchair after being hospitalized for a fall at his Washington home in June, according to the Washington Post, Al Jazeera, and multiple US outlets. The 84-year-old Republican and former Senate majority leader cast the deciding vote on a routine procedural vote to advance the nomination of Matthew Byrne, President Donald Trump's pick for a district court judgeship in Ohio. McConnell's lengthy absence from the Senate generated a flood of criticism and online speculation, as he initially remained quiet for weeks about his condition before eventually disclosing a month later that he had been briefly unconscious due to the fall and had also been treated for mild pneumonia in the hospital. McConnell briefly addressed reporters Monday from a wheelchair outside the Senate chamber, smiling but speaking slowly and with some difficulty. He told reporters that after two decades of dodging questions, he was glad to see them and that it was time to get back to work and finish the job for this Congress. In a statement, McConnell said his recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio have not made it any easier. He added that he is not quite back to 100 percent but has assured Leader Thune that as he continues with physical therapy on the advice of his doctors, he will be present for crucial Senate decisions. A statement from the Capitol physician that was included with McConnell's July release said that the senator has experienced several falls through the year due to his post-polio condition. His return could give GOP leaders a needed vote as they try to advance legislation on cryptocurrency regulation and college sports. McConnell's more than 90-day absence led to speculation across the country about his condition and whereabouts.