Mitch McConnell, 84, returns to Senate in wheelchair after hospitalisation

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell returned to the US Senate on Monday for the first time in three months following a fall that left him hospitalised.

The 84-year-old Kentucky senator arrived in a wheelchair and briefly spoke to reporters outside the Senate chamber before voting.

McConnell was hospitalised after falling at his home in June. He later revealed he had been “briefly unconscious” and was also treated for mild pneumonia.

He told reporters he had returned to work on a pending farm bill and because of his interest in NATO and “backing up our good friends who are totally in the fight against the Russians.”

McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in US history, is set to retire at the end of January after four decades in office.

In a statement, he acknowledged that his recovery was continuing and that he could still miss some votes.

“My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier,” McConnell said, according to the Associated Press.

He added that he was “still not quite back to 100%” but would try to attend important votes while continuing physical therapy.

His prolonged absence had fuelled concerns about his health and the ability of ageing lawmakers to continue carrying out their duties.