Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday he would return to the Senate when the chamber returns from recess, after more than a month of recovering from a fall.
Why it matters: His return is expected to put Senate Republicans at full strength as Democrats grapple with the impact of the protracted absence of Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-Calif.) on their two-seat majority.
- The announcement also comes after rumors circulated on Thursday that McConnell's deputies were preparing for him to announce his retirement.
Driving the news: "I am looking forward to returning to the Senate on Monday," the Senate GOP leader said in a tweet.
- "We've got important business to tackle and big fights to win for Kentuckians and the American people."
The backdrop: The 81-year-old McConnell was hospitalized after falling at a fundraising dinner early last month. He was later treated for a concussion and a minor rib fracture, according to his staff.
- After several days in the hospital, he spent nearly two weeks in inpatient physical therapy.
- McConnell returned to his D.C. home late last month but said, on the advice of his doctors, he would not return to the Senate before the two-week April recess.
Between the lines: McConnell's fellow Republican senators had expressed concerns about the ramifications of a prolonged absence, both on floor votes and in the sense of a broader leadership vacuum.