Senate Republican Mitch McConnell was hospitalized earlier this week after experiencing flu-like symptoms, his office confirmed Tuesday.
The 83-year-old Kentucky lawmaker checked himself into a local hospital Monday night after feeling unwell over the weekend. A spokesperson said McConnell sought medical evaluation “out of an abundance of caution.”
According to his office, McConnell’s prognosis is positive. He is grateful for the care he is receiving and has remained in regular contact with his staff. While no timeline was provided for his discharge, the senator expects to return to his Senate duties soon.
McConnell missed votes on the Senate floor Monday and Tuesday because of the illness.
Monday’s hospitalization comes after a series of health issues in recent years, including multiple falls and brief freezing episodes during public appearances that drew national attention. A polio survivor, McConnell has faced increasing mobility difficulties and is often seen receiving assistance while moving through the U.S. Capitol.
The Guardian continues:
He suffered a concussion after tripping and falling at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington in 2023, an episode that left him briefly using a wheelchair. He has also frozen up in multiple instances during press conferences, becoming non-responsive during interviews.
Last year, video surfaced of McConnell falling in a hallway in the Capitol as a woman asked him whether he agreed with ICE “taking working people off the streets and kidnapping them”.
McConnell is a towering figure in the Senate, where he led the Republican caucus from 2007 to 2025 and played a key role in reshaping the federal judiciary into a more conservative image.
The Kentucky senator said last year he would not seek re-election in 2026, after a more than 40-year career in the US Senate.
McConnell is the longest-serving Republican Senate leader in U.S. history. He was succeeded by Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.
One-third of U.S. senators are now over the age of 70.
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There’s a reason why most corporations and corporate boards have a mandatory retirement age. I hit that age several years ago and really enjoyed working on our board. The Governance Committee recommends the retirement age in most boards and I happened to have been the Chair of that committee. Nonetheless, and despite being in good health, I retired as I should have. Here we are three years later, I am still in good health, and I am still glad I did the right thing. If these politicians get so addicted to the status and power to make sensible decisions, Congress should enact an age limit in law.