\n<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON — <\/span>The Senate’s top two Republicans have spoken individually to Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell<\/a>, according to aides, as the former GOP leader remains in the hospital more than three weeks after being admitted for undisclosed health issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n Aides to McConnell have declined to release any information about his condition, fueling speculation about his prognosis and whether he will be healthy enough to be at the Capitol when the Senate returns to Washington next week after a two-week recess. McConnell, 84, is retiring at the end of his term<\/a> in January.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he had spoken with McConnell by phone on Monday and that the two had a \u201clengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security.\u201d As leader, Thune is generally kept up to date on illnesses and absences in his conference as he has to navigate vote counts and his narrow 53-47 majority. <\/p>\n Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 2 Senate Republican, had a 20-minute conversation with McConnell on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman. The two discussed Senate races ahead of the midterm elections, the Supreme Court and other topics, the statement said. <\/p>\n \u201cSenator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate,\u201d said Barrasso spokeswoman Kate Noyes. <\/p>\n Another McConnell ally, Republican strategist Scott Jennings, posted on X that he had also talked to McConnell for 20 minutes on Tuesday, and that \u201che\u2019s still recovering in the hospital.\u201d Jennings said they spoke about politics, foreign policy \u201cand even a little bit of Senate history.\u201d <\/p>\n McConnell was admitted to the hospital<\/a> on June 14, according to a statement from his office that only said he was \u201creceiving excellent care.\u201d <\/p>\n A statement a week later said that he would not be voting that week. And on Thursday, a new statement said that he \u201dappreciates the outpouring of support he\u2019s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session,\u201d the statement said. <\/p>\n A spokesman for McConnell released the same statement again on Tuesday, with no new updates. <\/p>\n The senator\u2019s unspecified health issues come after several hospitalizations in recent years. <\/p>\n While he was still Republican leader, McConnell was hospitalized<\/a> with a concussion in March 2023 and missed several weeks of work after falling in a Washington hotel. He twice froze up during news conferences after he returned, staring vacantly ahead before colleagues and staff \u2014 including Barrasso, who is a doctor \u2014 came to his assistance.<\/p>\n A year later, he fell and sprained his wrist<\/a> while walking out of a GOP luncheon.<\/p>\n McConnell had polio in his early childhood and he has long acknowledged some difficulty as an adult in walking and climbing stairs. He also tripped and fell in 2019 at his home in Kentucky and underwent surgery for a fractured shoulder.<\/p>\n The Kentucky senator was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and was the Republican leader from 2007 until last year<\/a>, serving as both majority and minority leader during that period. He has remained active as a rank-and-file senator, showing up for work when the chamber is in session, often using a wheelchair to get around.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n