Top US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell discharged from hospital, will move to rehab
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US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell will continue receiving treatment at a rehabilitation facility.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell was discharged from hospital and will continue receiving treatment at a rehabilitation facility, his office said on Monday, after one of Washington’s most powerful figures suffered a fall last week.
Mr McConnell’s recovery from a concussion is proceeding well, his office said in a statement, adding that he also had a minor rib fracture from the fall.
His continued treatment means he will not be present when the Senate returns to Washington on Tuesday.
The Republican leader, who is 81 and was first elected to represent Kentucky in the Senate in 1984, tripped at a dinner event on Wednesday evening and was admitted to hospital for treatment for a concussion.
A former aide of the leader said last Friday that Mr McConnell was eager to be discharged.
His hospitalisation came as Democratic President Joe Biden and Republicans, who have controlled the House of Representatives since the midterm elections, remained locked in a stand-off over the US$31.4 trillion (S$42.3 trillion) debt ceiling.
A lack of progress in talks has raised concern about a possible default over the summer.
Several of his fellow Senate Republicans told reporters last week that Mr McConnell was likely to be hospitalised for a few days, but added they were confident he would be back on the job when the Senate reconvened this week.
As Senate Minority Leader, Mr McConnell has taken a back seat to Mr Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the debt ceiling issue.
But independent experts view the Kentucky Republican as a skilled negotiator who could broker a compromise deal in an emergency.
Now serving his seventh six-year term, which runs up until the end of 2026, Mr McConnell was the third US senator to be hospitalised in recent weeks.
Democrat John Fetterman is being treated for depression, while Democrat Dianne Feinstein was discharged to recuperate at home following a bout with shingles.
Mr McConnell served as Senate Majority Leader from 2015 to 2021 and as Senate Minority Leader since then. Democrats, including three independents who vote with them, currently hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate.
Mr McConnell’s legislative skills have torpedoed many Democratic initiatives over the years, both when his party held a majority in the chamber and when Democrats have held the edge, as they currently do.
He has long been criticised by Democrats, particularly for his tactics that allowed Republicans to build a 6-3 conservative majority on the US Supreme Court, including having the Senate refuse to consider a 2016 nomination to the high court by Democratic then president Barack Obama. REUTERS
