A veteran Republican senator returned to Capitol Hill after a three-month medical absence, but his limited public appearance quickly gave way to another round of questions about whether he can complete his term.<\/p>\n
Only days after colleagues welcomed GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky back and described him as engaged, his name was missing from two Senate votes and his office offered no immediate public explanation.<\/p>\n
McConnell missed two votes Thursday after returning to the Senate on Monday for the first time in 92 days following a fall, hospitalization and extended rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
The 84-year-old Republican was hospitalized in June after falling at his Washington home and was subsequently treated for mild pneumonia before spending more than seven weeks in a rehabilitation facility.<\/p>\n
He returned to the Capitol in a wheelchair and acknowledged that his recovery remained incomplete, telling reporters that he was \u201cnot quite back to 100%.\u201d<\/p>\n
After decades of fielding questions from the Capitol press corps, McConnell joked that he had wondered how many reporters would be waiting for his return.<\/p>\n
\u201cI must admit, after two years of \u2014 decades actually \u2014 of dodging your questions, I wasn\u2019t sure how many of you would be here today,\u201d McConnell said.<\/p>\n
Some Republican senators offered encouraging assessments, with North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis saying he had a lengthy policy discussion with McConnell that reminded him of the senator\u2019s familiar working style.<\/p>\n
McConnell also participated in a Senate Agriculture Committee meeting as lawmakers advanced a farm bill, although he spoke quietly and had to repeat his \u201caye\u201d vote.<\/p>\n
\nMitch McConnell disappears after long-awaited return: \u2018Missing in action again\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The bill ultimately advanced 12-11 along party lines, making McConnell\u2019s vote consequential to the committee outcome.<\/p>\n
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Concerns returned after McConnell missed two Senate votes Thursday, with no explanation immediately provided by his office for the renewed absence.<\/p>\n
BlazeTV host Pat Gray seized on the development and argued that conservatives should apply the same standards to McConnell that they previously applied to former President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n
\u201cMitch McConnell didn\u2019t show up for work yesterday,\u201d Gray said while discussing the senator\u2019s brief return with members of his program.<\/p>\n
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\u201cTook three months to get that body double to look just right on the C-SPAN camera,\u201d executive producer Keith Malinak joked before Gray said McConnell was \u201cmissing in action again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Malinak then argued that McConnell was no longer capable of serving effectively and compared his condition unfavorably with what employers would expect from an ordinary worker.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis man is not qualified to be a Walmart greeter,\u201d Malinak said before insisting that the Kentucky senator \u201cshould leave now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gray agreed that consistency required conservatives to express the same concern about McConnell\u2019s ability to serve that they voiced during Biden\u2019s presidency.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were outraged by Biden,\u201d Gray said, adding, \u201cIf you\u2019re going to be consistent, you\u2019ve got to be outraged by this as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
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McConnell has already announced that he will retire when his current term ends in January 2027, concluding a Senate career that began in 1985.<\/p>\n
His health has drawn increasing attention following falls, freezing episodes during public appearances and the lengthy absence that caused him to miss dozens of votes.<\/p>\n
McConnell has not announced plans to resign early and said during his return that he remained committed to working on major legislation as his health permitted.<\/p>\n
The unanswered question is how frequently his recovery will allow him to participate during his final months, particularly when Republicans may need every available vote, The Blaze<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s absences do not establish that McConnell has again left Washington for an extended period, but they renewed the scrutiny that his carefully managed return had only briefly quieted.<\/p>\n
\nThis article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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