McConnell reassures GOP on health at critical time for Republicans

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is seeking to reassure Republicans about his health as the House GOP struggles to elect a Speaker, saying he has “completely recovered” after a pair of freezing incidents.

McConnell appeared on two Sunday talk shows to spearhead the push for a supplemental package that pairs funding for Israel to help root out Hamas with funding for Ukraine as part of its war against Russia. He also said his medical issues are in the rearview mirror. 

“I’m fine. I’m completely recovered, and I’m just fine,” McConnell told CBS “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan. “I’m in good shape, completely recovered and back on the job.”

McConnell froze twice in front of the media, most recently during an appearance in Covington, Ky., in late August when he stopped mid-sentence while answering questions from reporters. The prior freeze happened a month earlier in front of a horde of reporters in the Capitol. 

The leader’s team chalked up both incidents to him being lightheaded. Brian Monahan, the Capitol’s attending physician, ruled out that McConnell, 81, suffered a stroke or a seizure, or that he has Parkinson’s disease, according to a letter released following his examination of McConnell.

McConnell is the most powerful Republican lawmaker right now, with the House GOP stuck for three weeks without a Speaker at a crucial time. Government funding — set to expire in less than a month — and wars in Israel and Ukraine are at center stage.

Republicans said McConnell’s words match what they are seeing behind the scenes.

“It is certainly a positive,” one Senate GOP aide told The Hill. “It’s reflecting what a lot of members are seeing privately in these meetings.”

The White House last week requested $106 billion for a number of items, including aid to Israel and Ukraine and money to boost security at the border. 

A number of conservatives have criticized the White House approach, particularly for combining Ukraine and Israel aid into one package. But McConnell, a firm supporter of aid to Ukraine, appeared on both “Face the Nation” and “Fox News Sunday” to voice support for the joint effort.

“I just think that’s a mistake,” McConnell said when asked by Brennan if it’s possible to pass additional Ukraine aid on its own. “I know there are some Republicans in the Senate, and maybe more in the House, saying Ukraine is somehow different. I view it as all interconnected.”

McConnell and other leaders were unable to attach funding to boost Ukraine’s efforts against Russian aggression in the 45-day stopgap spending deal that only included disaster aid. Some Senate Republicans argued in its aftermath that they only had one chance to pass Ukraine aid, and that this coming opportunity is their best chance to get it done, especially given the troubles in the House.

Republicans also view attaching a robust border item to the supplemental as a key to getting it across the finish line. A group of Senate GOP members huddled in Sen. John Thune’s (R-S.D.) leadership office Thursday to figure out the way forward for that border component before some departed on a congressional delegation trip to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. 

No border item was attached to the stopgap package last month because negotiators determined that nothing that could win bipartisan consensus would be good enough for enough House Republicans. 

“It’s got to be something meaningful,” Thune told reporters late last week. “It’s going to have to be something that actually addresses the core issues, which isn’t just … more money for sanctuary cities.”

The Biden administration has requested $14 billion to address national security concerns at the border, on top of $61 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel and $10 billion for humanitarian relief. The effort to pass a version of that is what McConnell is trying to keep on the center stage as members hit a key stretch in the coming weeks. 

“I think we ought to be talking about what we were talking about earlier rather than my health,” he told Brennan. 

McConnell is widely known for carefully picking his times to make a point, and Sunday’s media blitz was no exception. The leader’s last appearances on the Sunday show circuit came in the spring of 2022 — just weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that McConnell was out there talking about the issues he’s talking about,” the Senate GOP aide said. “He’s very intentional about what he does and what he says.”

“Obviously, it’s a good thing,” the aide added about the medical comments.