Sen. Mitch McConnell has been using a wheelchair in the U.S. Capitol in recent months.
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Heather Diehl/Getty Images North America
Former Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell was admitted to a hospital on Sunday.
The 84-year old Kentucky senator’s condition is currently unknown but he has suffered regular health challenges in recent years.
McConnell spokesman David Popp said McConnell “is receiving excellent care” in an e-mailed statement but did not specify the reason for the hospitalization.
McConnell regularly moves about the Capitol in a wheelchair, often with the assistance of staff.
In 2023, McConnell froze and appeared unable to speak for nearly 30 seconds during his weekly press conference as leader.
He also suffered a series of falls, including one that resulted in a concussion and nearly six-week absence from the Senate. McConnell has always appeared to have a somewhat unsteady gate — a childhood bout of polio left him with a partially paralyzed leg.
He announced in 2024 he’d step down from leadership. And in 2025 that he would not seek another six-year term in office.
After more than four decades, McConnell’s time in the Senate is set to conclude at the end of this year.
