Kentucky’s senior senator was admitted to the hospital Monday night, creating another roadblock for legislation requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, 83, checked into a medical facility with symptoms resembling the flu.
His staff released a statement saying doctors expect a positive outcome, NBC News confirmed.
The Republican lawmaker’s absence from the Senate chamber stretched across Monday and Tuesday, causing him to miss critical floor votes during an already compressed legislative calendar.
McConnell currently leads the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, the panel with jurisdiction over the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.
The measure has sat dormant in his committee since last spring, according to media reports.
The legislation targets voter registration procedures by mandating documentary proof of American citizenship before anyone can register for federal contests. It would overhaul the National Voter Registration Act from 1993.
Under the proposal, states would need to verify citizenship status and remove foreign nationals from their voting databases. Supporters argue the changes would strengthen election security and restore public confidence.
On the same day McConnell entered the hospital, Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas joined 34 Republican colleagues in sending the senator a formal request.
Their letter pressed him to hold a committee markup session and move the bill toward a full Senate vote before next year’s midterm elections.
Gill took to social media to highlight polling data.
“83% of Americans want proof of citizenship to vote, yet the Senate has done nothing for 300 days,” he posted. “The House did its job. The Senate needs to do theirs.”
The timing comes just days after President Donald Trump shut down efforts by House conservatives to attach election integrity provisions to government funding legislation.
Trump insisted the $1.2 trillion spending package that passed the Senate must go through “NO CHANGES.”
Republican lawmakers had attempted to include the SAVE America Act, a broader version of the original citizenship verification bill.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Texas Rep. Chip Roy introduced this expanded measure on Jan. 29. Their version adds mandatory photo identification requirements for all federal elections on top of the citizenship documentation already in the base bill.
The enhanced provisions would create a two-layer verification system for voter eligibility.
McConnell’s medical episode represents the latest in a series of health challenges. He suffered a concussion in March 2023 after a fall at a private event.
Later that year, the senator experienced multiple incidents where he appeared to freeze during public appearances, unable to respond to questions for several seconds.
On July 26, McConnell stopped speaking mid-sentence during a press conference and stared blankly for approximately 20 seconds before aides intervened.
Weeks later, a similar incident unfolded at a Kentucky event where the senator froze for roughly 30 seconds while responding to reporter questions.
Capitol attending physician Dr. Brian Monahan subsequently cleared McConnell medically, finding no evidence of seizure disorder, stroke, transient ischemic attack, or movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.
The episodes sparked widespread concern about his fitness to serve.
