Senator Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate floor on Monday and cast his first vote nearly three months after suffering a serious fall in June. McConnell, who uses a wheelchair, was welcomed by his colleagues upon his return.
McConnell was seen leaving his home in Washington before heading to the Senate. The senator said his recovery had been long and often challenging, adding that the lasting effects of polio, which he contracted as a child, had made it more difficult to regain his strength.
McConnell said he was continuing physical therapy on the advice of his doctors and acknowledged that he had not yet fully recovered. He said he would do everything he could to be present for the critical votes Republicans needed.
McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, is the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history. He is expected to retire when his Senate term ends in January.