Mitch McConnell medically cleared to work by Capitol attending physician

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been medically cleared to return to duty by the U.S. Capitol’s attending physician after his alarming freeze at an event in Kentucky this week.

Brian Monahan, the attending physician, said he told McConnell he was “medically cleared to continue with his schedule as planned” after consulting with the GOP leader and his neurology team.

“Occasional dizziness is not uncommon during concussion recovery and can also be expected following dehydration,” Monahan added in a statement released Thursday by McConnell’s office.

At a press conference on Wednesday, McConnell, 81, did not respond for about 30 seconds after being asked about his 2026 re-election bid, prompting aides to rush to his side. This is the second alarming episode experienced by the senator in the past five weeks. McConnell’s aides said he “felt momentarily dizzy” during the last freeze.

McConnell was hospitalized with a concussion and broken ribs after falling earlier this year. The longtime Republican senator from Kentucky is a polio survivor.

President Joe Biden said he spoke with McConnell on Thursday.

“He was on the phone himself. … It’s not at all unusual to have the reaction that sometimes happens to Mitch when you’ve suffered a severe concussion,” Biden said at a Federal Emergency Management Agency event in Washington.

Efforts by McConnell’s team and its allies to quell speculation about the senator’s health are unlikely to quell swirling questions about his future as party leader. Several Republican senators are considering a caucus meeting to discuss their party’s direction once the Senate returns from its August recess next week, according to Politico. And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has even suggested that McConnell should step down, calling him and other older politicians “unfit for the job.”

Yet a prominent McConnell critic is not pushing for his ouster this time around. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who led a failed bid to oust McConnell as leader earlier this year, said he doesn’t see McConnell going anywhere anytime soon.

“I expect him to continue to be the Republican leader throughout this term,” Scott said. told CBS News Wednesday. “We will have new elections after the 2024 elections.”