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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suffered an injury during a fall at a D.C. hotel Wednesday night that will require him to stay in the hospital for “a few days of observation and treatment,” spokesman David Pope said. Said In an update early Thursday afternoon, however, it is unclear how long the 81-year-old may remain absent from the narrowly divided Senate.

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McConnell poses during a private dinner for the Senate Leadership Fund super PAC at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Multiple reportsAnd his initial position was not clear.

Even Sen. John Thune (RS.D.)—the next highest-ranking Senate Republican—said CNN He was unaware of McConnell’s injuries late Thursday morning, saying, “I haven’t spoken to him directly.”

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The longtime senator has received bipartisan support from well-wishers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who wished McConnell a “swift and full recovery” in his inaugural address on the Senate floor Thursday. Did.

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McConnell joins a growing list of senators who have dropped out due to health problems. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has been out for weeks due to "severe" depression that led to a hospital stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, while Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Tuesday. He was discharged from the hospital after treatment for ringworm. Feinstein, 89, has said she hopes to return to the Senate this month, while a date for Fetterman's return is still unclear, though his office has said he is making progress. Absences are significant in a Senate split 51-49 between Democrats and Republicans, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting multiple tie-breaking votes in recent weeks.

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McConnell underwent surgery in 2019 after fracturing his shoulder during a fall at his home in Kentucky. senator Too Still battling a childhood battle with polio in the 1940s, which he says made it difficult to climb stairs.

Sen. Mitch McConnell hospitalized after fall at DC hotel (Forbes)

Sean Fetterman hospitalized for 'severe' depression (Forbes)

Sen. Feinstein hospitalized with shingles—strains Democrats' narrow majority (Forbes)