Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the Office of the Attending Physician provided a brief statement update on the senator’s health Monday morning, saying he will miss Kentucky’s annual St. Jerome Fancy Farm Picnic as he remains in rehab.
“I’m 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’ orders,” McConnell said in his statement. “Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to make it to Fancy Farm, Kentucky this Saturday.”
McConnell, 84, has been absent from the upper chamber since he was hospitalized in Washington, D.C., on June 14 after taking a fall. After speculation rose online about his absence, the Kentucky Senate titan addressed his hospitalization, noting earlier in July that he didn’t have a concussion or break any bones when he fell, but was “briefly unconscious” and also dealt with a “mild case” of pneumonia over the past several weeks.
Senator Mitch McConnell and Secretary Elaine Chao on Sunday, July 26, 2026. Credit: Office of Sen. Mitch McConnell
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/image002.jpg?w=660" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/image002.jpg?w=660" alt="Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and his wife, Elaine Chao" class="wp-image-4664433" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/image002.jpg 660w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/image002.jpg?resize=225,300 225w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/image002.jpg?resize=150,200 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/image002.jpg?resize=300,400 300w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px">
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and his wife, Elaine Chao, on Sunday, July 26, 2026. (Photo courtesy of the Office of Sen. Mitch McConnell)
In his Monday update, McConnell said he is “looking forward to getting back to the Senate and to Kentucky soon.” The Fancy Farm picnic, set for Aug. 1, is a staple of Bluegrass State politics, as the state’s political leaders gather for pork and mutton in the Southwest Kentucky community. McConnell has attended the event around 30 times since taking office, according to WKU radio.
The Office of the Attending Physician, which provides medical aid to members of Congress and Supreme Court justices, said in a statement released Monday that McConnell is continuing the recovery process from his fall and is not yet cleared to leave rehab. The OAP said office physicians are visiting “with the Senator every day.”
“Since 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,” the OAP said in a statement on McConnell. “His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility. He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.”
WHAT LEGISLATION HAS MITCH MCCONNELL’S ABSENCE STALLED IN THE SENATE?
McConnell’s statement comes during a wave of backlash from his Democratic colleagues, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) recently calling on the senator to resign if he cannot be more publicly transparent about his health.
McConnell has missed 38 votes on the Senate floor since his hospitalization in mid-June. Republicans hold a slim 53-47 majority in the upper chamber.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
