Senator Mitch McConnell has continued to receive his full Senate salary during a medical absence that has now stretched beyond nine weeks. His extended paid absence has drawn renewed attention to the stark difference between the benefits available to members of Congress and those to new mothers in America.
Currently, under federal law, new mothers are entitled to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. The law does not require employers to continue paying workers during that time, leaving many new mothers without a paycheck while recovering from childbirth and caring for their babies.
What happened to McConnell
McConnell fell at his home on June 14 and was briefly unconscious following the incident. The 84-year-old senator later developed a mild case of pneumonia, according to his office.
He remained hospitalized into July before being moved to a rehabilitation facility. He was discharged from rehabilitation in early August to continue recovering at home.
His office has said doctors ruled out a stroke, heart attack, concussion or major fractures from the fall, though residual effects of childhood polio continue to limit his mobility.
McConnell has released only two photos of himself with his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and has issued written statements rather than appearing in a video or speaking by phone with constituents.
McConnell’s stance on paid leave for citizens
McConnell’s record on paid leave has also come under scrutiny as his extended absence highlights the benefits available to members of Congress.
Fact-checkers have noted that McConnell has voted against several measures that would have expanded paid leave or medical leave.
He voted against a range of sick leave measures in 1993, 2015, 2020 and 2022, though his 2020 vote came with a caveat, since he backed an emergency pandemic bill that included temporary paid sick leave while voting against a separate amendment meant to strengthen and extend it.
Since McConnell entered the Senate in 1985, he has voted against creating or expanding medical leave, both paid and unpaid, more than 20 times.
Kentucky’s governor demands answers
The extended silence from McConnell’s office has drawn sharp criticism from Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. Beshear called on McConnell to publicly demonstrate that he remains capable of serving or resign, a day after McConnell’s office said he was still not medically cleared to leave rehabilitation.
“I’ve heard absolutely nothing back from Mitch McConnell,” Beshear said on Face the Nation on Sunday, August 16. “All he needs to do is call into this show for two minutes, or Fox News for two minutes, or do a video for two minutes to the people he’s supposed to serve. But you know what? He absolutely refuses to do it.”
Beshear also sent a separate letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune calling on Thune to investigate McConnell’s condition and, if McConnell could not show he remained capable of serving, to begin the process of potentially removing him from the chamber.
McConnell’s background
McConnell became the longest-serving party leader in Senate history and helped shape a conservative majority on the Supreme Court during his decades in Washington.
He announced last year that he would not run for reelection when his current term ends in January 2027.
McConnell, however, is not the only member of Congress to draw a paycheck during a long unexplained absence this year. Representative Thomas Kean Jr. of New Jersey missed months of House votes before revealing upon his return that he had been receiving inpatient mental health treatment.
