McConnell Returns to Senate Committee, Casts Deciding Farm Bill Vote
Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday, providing the 12th Republican vote to move the farm bill to the full Senate.
Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, attending a Senate Agriculture Committee meeting to vote on the farm bill.
His presence gave Republican leaders the twelfth GOP vote required to advance the legislation to the full Senate. Republicans had been unable to move the bill out of committee during McConnell's three-month absence.
During the roll call, McConnell initially cast a "no" vote before changing it to "aye" after prompting from colleagues.
The committee action came as GOP leaders also sought to move legislation on cryptocurrency regulation and college sports.
McConnell returned to the Senate on Monday for the first time since June, appearing noticeably more frail after he was hospitalized for a fall at his home. His lengthy absence had generated widespread criticism and online speculation, as he remained quiet for weeks about his condition. He later disclosed that he had been "briefly unconscious" because of the fall and had also been treated for mild pneumonia in the hospital.
The 84-year-old senator, the longest-serving Senate leader in history, is in the final months of a four-decade career in office. He is retiring at the end of January.
McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and served as Republican leader from 2007 until last year, holding both the majority and minority leader posts during that period.
His extended leave drew fresh attention to public concern about the age of lawmakers and their capacity to carry out their duties. Toward the end of his time as leader and during his last two years as a rank-and-file senator, McConnell's health visibly declined. He was hospitalized with a concussion in March 2023 and missed several weeks of work after falling at a Washington hotel. After returning, he twice froze during news conferences, staring vacantly ahead before colleagues and staff intervened. A year later, he fell and sprained his wrist while leaving a GOP luncheon.