Sen. Tuberville urges clarification on Sen. McConnell's extended Senate absence

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said the Senate has not received any update on Sen. Mitch McConnell’s health or expected return date, and urged that details be provided before the chamber adjourns for its August recess. He told Fox News Digital that “somebody needs to do something” and noted the importance of McConnell’s presence for upcoming votes on the Republican agenda.

McConnell, who has been absent since a hospitalization on June 14, posted on social media that doctors have ordered him to remain off the Senate floor for the time being, but he intends to return before his planned retirement at the end of his term. He attributed the initial hospitalization to a fall linked to a childhood bout with polio, followed by a brief period of unconsciousness and a subsequent mild case of pneumonia.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., defended McConnell against rumors about his condition, stating he believes the senator’s own statements and dismissing speculation about a vegetative state. Kennedy said, “I believe Mitch… I don’t believe all these stories that he’s brain dead and all of that.”

Tuberville said Republicans need McConnell back before the Senate recess, which runs from Aug. 8 to Sept. 13, because “the Democrats are not gonna give us any votes.” He added that the timing of McConnell’s return remains unclear.