Mitch McConnell releases health update, saying he’s not ready to return to work yet

WASHINGTON — Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office released a health update Monday, saying he’s still not ready to return to in-person work in the Capitol after his June 14 hospitalization. “I’m still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors’ orders,” McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to make it to Fancy Farm, Kentucky this Saturday.” Thune says he defers to McConnell and team on health updates McConnell, who said he’s in rehabilitation care after a fall at his home last month, added that there’s “no place I’d rather be” than the annual picnic in Kentucky this weekend and “I hate that I’ll miss the fun this year.” He said he’s “looking forward to getting back to the Senate and to Kentucky soon.” McConnell’s office did not provide a timeline for his return. He has missed the last 38 votes on the Senate floor, according to an NBC News review. The chamber is scheduled to be in session for the next two weeks before summer recess.

His office released a new photo of him with his wife, Elaine Chao. McConnell’s office also released a statement from the Office of the Attending Physician, saying that the senator “continues his recovery from a fall at home in June,” adding: “He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.” “Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls,” the OAP statement read. It is the first update from McConnell’s team since July 12 , when he first disclosed the details of what led to his hospitalization.

He said he suffered a fall and was “briefly unconscious,” but never had a heart attack or stroke, nor any tumors or hemorrhages. McConnell is scheduled to retire when his term expires at the end of this Congress, as he isn’t running for re-election in November. Sahil Kapur is a senior national political reporter for NBC News.