Sen. Mitch McConnell Discharged After Eight-Day Hospital Stay
McConnell was discharged Feb. 10, 2026, after an eight-day hospital stay for flu-like symptoms and will work from home this week on doctors' advice.
Overview
Sen. Mitch McConnell was discharged from a local hospital on Feb. 10, 2026, after an eight-day stay for flu-like symptoms, and spokesman David Popp said McConnell will work from home this week on doctors' advice.
McConnell has not voted in the Senate since Jan. 30, 2026, and his absence comes as Congress faces a Feb. 13, 2026, deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security, his office said.
McConnell, 83, suffered a concussion after a fall in 2023 and fractured his shoulder in 2019, and he announced in 2025 that he will not seek re-election in 2026, records and public statements show.
McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and served as Senate Republican leader from 2007 to 2025, according to congressional records.
His office released no additional medical details and said doctors advised he work from home while they monitor his recovery, spokesman David Popp said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame McConnell’s discharge as part of a narrative about declining health and political vulnerability, using evaluative phrasing ("mounting concerns about his health"), repeated references to age and past falls, and selective emphasis on incidents over medical context. The spokesperson quote appears, but independent medical perspectives are notably absent.
Sources (4)
FAQ
Sen. Mitch McConnell was discharged on February 10, 2026, after an eight-day hospital stay for flu-like symptoms.
McConnell will work from home this week on his doctors' advice while they monitor his recovery.
McConnell has not voted in the Senate since January 30, 2026, due to his hospital stay starting February 3, 2026.
Congress faces a February 13, 2026, deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security, during McConnell's absence.
McConnell, aged 83, suffered a concussion after a fall in 2023, fractured his shoulder in 2019, and had episodes where his face froze while speaking.
History
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