By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has been released from hospital and will continue to receive treatment at a rehabilitation center, his office said on Monday, after one of the senior figures Washington’s most powerful suffered an accident last week.
McConnell’s recovery from a brain disruption is going well, his office said in a statement, adding that he also suffered a minor rib fracture in the fall. His continued treatment means McConnell will not be present when the Senate returns to Washington on Tuesday.
A senior Republican Senate official has suggested McConnell could be in rehab for up to two weeks.
“The decision (about the rehabilitation time) will be made by the chief’s doctors and therapists. It is very common to undergo physical therapy to regain strength after a hospital stay, and this varies from a week to two weeks,” the adviser said. at Reuters.
The Republican leader, who is 81 and was first elected to represent Kentucky in the Senate in 1984, tripped during a dinner party Wednesday night and was admitted to hospital for treatment for a brain disorder. A former aide to the leader said Friday that McConnell was eager to be released.
His hospitalization came as Democratic President Joe Biden and Republicans, who control the House of Representatives after the midterm elections, were still locked in a row over the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling.
The lack of progress in the talks raises fears of a possible default during the summer.
Several of his fellow Senate Republicans told reporters last week that McConnell would likely be hospitalized for a few days, but added they were confident he would return to work when the Senate reconvenes this week. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing in Spanish by Aida Peláez-Fernández)