Frail-looking Mitch McConnell returns to Senate for one duty after a 3-month absence

WASHINGTON, DC: After three months out of sight, Mitch McConnell made a long-awaited return to Capitol Hill, stepping back into the Senate chamber to cast his first vote since his extended absence. 

The 84-year-old senator, who holds the record as the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, had been away from the chamber for more than three months after a fall at his Washington, DC, home landed him in the hospital.

McConnell and his office initially maintained their silence over his condition, fueling weeks of speculation about his health and whether he would return to the Senate before the end of his term in January.

However, it was eventually disclosed that he had been "briefly unconscious" due to the fall and had also been treated for mild pneumonia in the hospital.

Mitch McConnell appears frail but upbeat as he returns to Senate in a wheelchair

An aide wheeled McConnell through the historic Ohio Clock Corridor, where the senator appeared frail but upbeat as he made his return to the Capitol after a three-month absence from his Senate colleagues.

He later voted to advance the nomination of Matthew Byrne to be a US district judge for the Southern District of Ohio.

The Kentucky Republican briefly conversed with a group of reporters assembled outside the Senate chamber, saying it’s “time to get back to work,” but he did not answer questions, including whether he should have been more transparent about his health during his absence.

“I must admit, after two years — two decades, actually — dodging your questions, I wasn’t sure how many of you would be here today, but I’m glad to see you,” he said.

“Time to get back to work, finish the job for this Congress,” McConnell added, pointing to passing the annual farm bill and aiding Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Mitch McConnell says he is 'still not quite back to 100%'

McConnell was spotted earlier in the afternoon being wheeled out of his Capitol Hill townhouse by an aide and security detail while a crowd assembled on the sidewalk.

In a statement circulated by his office as he was en route to the Capitol, the senator said he was “really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues.”

He added that he’s “still not quite back to 100%,” but he assured Senate Majority Leader John Thune 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.”

McConnell’s return is a significant boost for Senate Republicans, giving the GOP the additional votes it needs to move the farm bill through the Agriculture Committee and advance regular spending legislation through the Senate Appropriations Committee.

He chairs both the Senate Rules Committee and Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, two key panels that could have a major impact on whether Republicans can move forward with the process. 

Thune also shared that he had spoken with McConnell last week, and that the longtime Republican leader was "dialed in" on how campaigns for this midterm election cycle were going. Still, it's unclear how long he will stick around during the forthcoming three-week sprint before lawmakers make a jailbreak for the campaign trail in October.