Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was hospitalized on 9 March, for treatment of a concussion sustained the night before when he tripped and fell during a hotel dinner, according to a spokeswoman for the senator.
The 81-year-old senator from Kentucky stumbled and fell during a meal following a reception for the Senate Leadership Fund, a campaign committee that supports his reelection. The Trump International Hotel, now known as the Waldorf Astoria Washington, DC, played host to the festivities.
McConnell “is appreciative to the medical specialists for their care and to his colleagues for their kind wishes,” according to spokesman David Popp. McConnell’s office has not released any additional information on his health or the length of time he may be missing from Senate sessions.
President Joe Biden, upon his return to the White House from a visit to Philadelphia on Thursday(9 March) evening, told reporters that he had talked with McConnell’s family.
According to Biden, his former Senate colleague will be fine. It may take some time for a person to fully recover from a concussion. An individual’s potential during recovery can be hampered by even a single concussion.
McConnell fractured his shoulder in a 2019 fall at his Kentucky home, necessitating surgery. He was able to rest and recuperate at home for a few weeks during the Senate’s summer break.
When the new Congress opened in January, McConnell surpassed the previous record of 16 years to become the longest-serving Senate leader. He was first elected in 1984.
McConnell, who is notoriously reticent to talk about his personal life, is known for his silence. Yet, towards the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, he discussed his struggle with polio as a child. He explained that his mother had him off his feet for a long period of time as a toddler and put him through rigorous physical therapy. He now admits to having trouble as an adult with the stairway.
Senators who were leaving Thursday’s GOP conference lunch said that McConnell’s staff had updated them on his health. Senator Romney of Utah stated they were told Romney “is doing well, feels well, but has a concussion.”
Romney speculated that McConnell would spend the weekend in the hospital and then return to work in the Senate the following week. Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the Republican Party’s No. 2 leader, claimed he was in attendance at the gathering on Wednesday night and that McConnell had made his “regular” remarks.
Since Thune was in another hotel reception at the time, he did not see McConnell collapse, but he did hear about it.
Not a single senator had actually spoken with McConnell, though many had contracted out to express their best wishes. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley claimed he emailed McConnell but that he wasn’t accepting phone calls at the time.
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“We simply need to make sure that the leader does what he’s instructed,” said Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
On Thursday morning, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-New York, said on the Senate floor that he had spoken with McConnell’s staff “to send my prayers and good wishes.” The average age in the Senate is 65, and numerous senators have recently been absent due to illness.
The 53-year-old Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, was hospitalized for treatment of severe depression after suffering a stroke during his campaign last year. Even 89-year-old Senator Dianne Feinstein of California’s Democratic Party recently revealed that she had been hospitalized for treatment of shingles.
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