Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was discharged from the hospital Monday and is moving into rehabilitation before returning to the Capitol, according to his office.
The 81-year-old Senator suffered a concussion when he tripped and fell last Wednesday while dining out at a private dinner at a hotel in Washington DC.
McConnell’s spokesperson David Popp said in a statement that his “concussion recovery is proceeding well,” adding that “at the advice of his physician” the next step will be “a period of physical therapy at an inpatient rehabilitation facility before he returns home.”
Popp also revealed that McConnell is additionally being treated for a “minor rib fracture” that he suffered when he fell.
McConnell has reportedly been in touch with Senate colleagues by text from George Washington University Hospital and met at the hospital with staff members and other advisers.
The Republican’s hospitalization has impacted the balance of power in the Senate, which had been thrown off when Democrats Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and then Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California were hospitalized for different reasons.
Feinstein was released from the hospital last Tuesday amid a bout of shingles. The 89-year-old is continuing to recover at home and tweeted last week that she looks forward to returning to the Senate “as soon as possible.”
Fetterman remains in the hospital after checking himself in to treat clinical depression in mid-February. Last Tuesday his chief of staff Adam Jentleson tweeted several photos of 53-year-old Fetterman and said he is “well on his way to recovery” and he “will be back soon.” The Senator’s wife, Giselle, tweeted more pictures of him on Friday as he continues his treatment at Walter Reed.
If McConnell returns to the Senate while the two Democrats remain absent, there will be a 49-49 split that will most likely require Vice President Harris to break tying votes in the Democrats’ favor.
McConnell’s office said his return to the Senate will be decided by his doctors and physical therapists. His staff has not disclosed where he would get further treatment, but they’ve noted that it’s common for patients to undergo a week or two of physical therapy to regain strength after a hospital stay.
