{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=EB724698-4D2F-4E6E-9D3A-163943986C85", "Statement From Senator Mitch McConnell", "2026-07-12", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following note to constituents regarding his hospitalization and recovery:\n\n\u201cTo my fellow Kentuckians \u2013\n\n\u201cWhen you elected me to a seventh term and made me our Commonwealth\u2019s longest serving Senator, you did so trusting that I\u2019d keep showing up to fight for you every day. And over the past several weeks, Elaine and I have appreciated both your well wishes and your honest questions about what was keeping me away from the Senate.\n\n\u201cYou all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older. Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct \u2013 I can\u2019t help it.\n\n\u201cBut at the same time, I\u2019ve had more than my share of experience with physical vulnerabilities. Surviving childhood polio meant spending my entire life with mobility challenges. They haven\u2019t exactly gotten easier to manage with age. And last month, I took a fall which landed me in the hospital.\n\n\u201cMy doctors have confirmed that I didn\u2019t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn\u2019t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don\u2019t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I\u2019ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.\n\n\u201cI can assure you that I\u2019ve been a good patient. At my age, I tend to do what my doctors tell me to do. I\u2019ve submitted to every test they can think of to help figure out what caused this incident. And I\u2019m continuing to do everything they ask to speed my recovery. In fact, with signs of continued progress, I\u2019ve been able to move from hospital care to a rehabilitation center where I\u2019ll keep regaining my strength.\n\n\u201cAs much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won\u2019t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet. But rest assured that, in the meantime, I\u2019m not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you. I\u2019ve been working closely with my legislative staff on current issues, and with my Kentucky team who help me provide timely constituent services across our Commonwealth. I\u2019ve also been keeping in touch with my Senate colleagues on the appropriations process, midterm politics, and everything in between.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you. And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work. But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll keep working hard to get back on the Senate floor as soon as possible. And I\u2019ll keep you posted on the progress of my recovery. Until then, I\u2019m so grateful for your prayers and well wishes.\u201d\n\n###\n\nFrom the Office of the Attending Physician:\n\n\u201cSenator McConnell has experienced several falls throughout the year that have been attributed to his post-polio condition. He was admitted to the hospital four weeks ago after falling at home and sustaining minor injuries.\n\n\u201cA comprehensive evaluation by a multidisciplinary team determined that he had no fractures, cardiac abnormalities, stroke, tumor, or hemorrhage. Early in his hospitalization, he developed pneumonia, which responded rapidly to antibiotic treatment.\n\n\u201cThe remainder of his hospital stay focused on physical therapy and strategies to reduce his risk of future falls. He has been medically cleared to continue fully participating in his intensive physical therapy program.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-13T08:14:37Z", "2026-07-13T08:15:42Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=EB724698-4D2F-4E6E-9D3A-163943986C85"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8138502016663551, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}