Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is seen as the Senate votes on amendments to the reconciliation package at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on June 4, 2026.
Nathan Posner | Anadolu | getty images
Questions are rising about Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as the 84-year-old lawmaker has been hospitalized for more than three weeks and little information has been given about his health condition.
McConnell, the former longtime Senate majority leader who declined to seek an eighth term after multiple health concerns, was hospitalized on June 14, news outlets reported.
A spokesperson for the senator at the time confirmed his hospitalization and said he was “receiving excellent care,” but provided no other details, news outlets reported.
Asked by CNBC on Tuesday for the latest available information about McConnell’s health, the senator’s office provided the same brief statement it issued last week, saying the senator “appreciates the support he is receiving as he continues his recovery in the hospital.”
“The senator’s condition continues to improve and he is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session,” the statement said.
First, the audio of the emergency services call informed Received by journalist Desiree Townsend and later by others news outletResponders performing CPR on a man who experienced cardiac arrest at McConnell’s Washington address on the day of his hospitalization. McConnell’s name is not mentioned in the audio. The senator’s office declined to comment about the recording.
Scrutiny of the senator’s status intensified this week after Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist and ally of President Donald Trump. claimed “A high-level source close to the White House” reported that McConnell “is officially brain dead.”
But several people, including GOP Senate leaders John Thune of South Dakota and John Barrasso of Wyoming, claimed Tuesday that both of them had spoken at length with McConnell in recent days.
Senate Majority Leader Thune spoke by phone with the Kentucky senator on Monday and discussed national security issues and other topics, a spokesperson for Thune told CNBC.
Barrasso, the chamber’s majority whip, spoke for about 20 minutes Tuesday afternoon, spokeswoman Kate Noyce told CNBC in a statement.
“He caught up on the latest news impacting the Senate races, the Graham Platner scandal and the Supreme Court’s recent decision on coordinated spending limits,” Noyce said. “They also discussed the Senate’s July business session, including the need to pass the NDAA and confirm President Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence.”
Noyce said McConnell was “fully engaged and eager to get back to the Senate.”
Meanwhile, conservative commentator Scott Jennings said in an X-post that he spoke to McConnell on the phone Tuesday morning.
“He is still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just 20 minutes…about Iran, Ukraine, the evolving situation in Maine, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even Senate history,” Jennings wrote. “I told him we want to see him back to work as soon as possible.”
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.