Senator Mitch McConnell has been discharged from a medical rehabilitation center, he announced on Thursday.
“Earlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home,” McConnell said in a statement. “Elaine and I are grateful for the many well wishes and support from friends, colleagues, and Kentuckians, and for the attentive care I’ve received from excellent doctors, nurses, therapists, and hospital staff.”
The Kentucky Republican was hospitalized in mid-June and has been out of Congress since, prompting alarm and widespread speculation over his health.
Weeks after entering the hospital, McConnell disclosed he was admitted after a fall and had since developed a case of mild pneumonia.
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion,” McConnell said in a statement at the time. “I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital.”
After his discharge, the 84-year-old will not be returning to Capitol Hill just yet.
“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,” McConnell wrote in his statement on Thursday.
McConnell’s lengthy absence from the Senate has been a subject of intense interest and debate in Washington and beyond, as the Trump administration looks to lock in any final legislative wins ahead of the November midterms, where Democrats could retake control of Congress.
Republican senators and conservative commentators insist they have spoken with McConnell and that he remains engaged and physically sound to carry on in office, though McConnell himself hasn’t appeared in any live video appearances that might assure doubters.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, has called on McConnell to “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign.”
If McConnell resigned his position, or was otherwise incapacitated or died, a special election could be called to replace him.
McConnell’s hospitalization came after a series of past medical scares, including falls and incidents where the senator froze mid-sentence.
His absence, as well as the recent death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, 71, reignited the long-running debate over whether members of Congress are too old to serve.
About 58 percent of Americans think the share of elderly lawmakers in Congress, which is currently one of the oldest in U.S. history, is a major problem, according to a July CNN / SSRS poll.
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