Senator Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate on Monday for the first time in more than three months, ending an absence that had fueled questions about his medical condition and ability to continue serving after a health incident at his home in mid-June.
Mr. McConnell, the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican and former party leader, arrived in a wheelchair for the Senate’s evening vote on a federal appeals court nominee, the first time he had been seen there since he last cast a floor vote on June 11.
“My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier,” Mr. McConnell said in a statement released by his office announcing his return.
“I’m still not quite back to 100 percent,” he added, saying that he had told party leaders “that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our conference needs me.”
Mr. McConnell’s office has said he suffered a fall at his Capitol Hill home on June 14 and was transported by ambulance to George Washington University Hospital, where he was treated and underwent rehabilitation before his release and return home on Aug. 6. His office had released photographs of the senator and issued statements in his name, but before Monday evening, he had not been seen publicly since he entered the hospital.
On the Senate floor on Monday, Mr. McConnell was wheeled out and immediately surrounded by a procession of senators who approached to shake his hand. Clad in a navy blazer, tie and khaki pants, he could be heard speaking in characteristically low tones with both Democrats and Republicans who came to wish him well.
He wore a bandage just above his wrist on one hand, and both hands appeared darkly bruised on top. He shook hands, steepled his fingers while in conversation, and clapped a few senators on the chest.
Speaking briefly to reporters outside the Senate chamber, Mr. McConnell said he was committed to working on the farm bill and legislation to impose strong new sanctions on Russia.
“After two years — two decades — of dodging your questions, I wasn’t sure how many of you would be here today,” he said, joking about the press attention his return has attracted.
Mr. McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history, announced in 2024 that he would not try to return as leader after a series of falls, an extended absence and episodes where he seemed to freeze while speaking in public. Then, in early 2025, he announced he would not seek election to an eighth term. His current term expires on Jan. 3.
Mr. McConnell, who had polio as a child, has at times relied on a wheelchair to make his way from his Senate offices to the floor but he had stopped using one in the days before the incident at his home.
His absence prompted significant speculation about the state of his health and stoked outrage among voters about the advanced ages of those serving at the highest levels in Congress. Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, raised questions about whether Mr. McConnell is competent to serve and suggested he was shortchanging his constituents by failing to step down and cut short his remaining time in the Senate.
But Mr. McConnell gave no indication he was considering stepping down, in line with a long pattern of senators remaining in office through lengthy convalescence.
“If you talk to your governor, tell him ‘Hi,’” Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi, said to Mr. McConnell as he welcomed him back on Monday.
Olivia Diaz contributed reporting.
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