Mitch McConnell returns to US Senate after 3-month health-related absence

US Sen. Mitch McConnell returned Monday to the Senate floor in a wheelchair for his first vote since suffering a bad fall in June, ending a roughly three-month absence from the upper chamber as he continues his recovery.

"Today, I’ll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June. I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues," he said on the US social media platform X.

McConnell, a longtime Kentucky Republican, said his recovery has been “long and often frustrating” and that the lingering effects of childhood polio have made the process more difficult. He said he remains in physical therapy under the advice of his doctors.

“I’m still not quite back to 100%,” he said, adding that he has assured Senate Majority Leader John Thune that he will do his best to be present for "tough votes" when Republicans need him.

The senator was seen leaving his home in Washington, DC on Monday, marking his first reported departure from the residence following his extended absence from the Senate.

After arriving on the Senate floor, McConnel was greeted by his colleagues.

McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in US history, is set to retire when his term expires in January.