Sen. Josh Hawley is admonishing his Republican colleague, Mitch McConnell, over the former Senate majority leader’s whereabouts after an absence from Congress that has lasted over a month.
The Missouri senator sent well wishes to McConnell, 84, and his family during a Fox News Digital interview published July 19 but noted that “at a certain point you do have an obligation to your constituents and the country to tell them what’s going on.”
First elected to the Senate in 1984, McConnell has served seven terms representing Kentucky. McConnell broke his public silence in a July 12 statement to address a hospitalization that spurred widespread criticism, conspiracy theories and online conversations.
He was hospitalized after experiencing a fall that left him briefly unconscious and said he had a bout of mild pneumonia during his hospitalization and has since been moved to a rehabilitation center. The statement included a photo of him with his wife, Elaine Chao, in the hospital.
A timeline of Mitch McConnell’s health issues, including 2023 fall
Hawley told Fox that “we’ve got a slim majority; it’s not easy,” referencing Republicans’ slight edge over Democrats, 53-47, in the upper chamber.
“I just hear a lot from leadership that, ‘Well, we don’t have the votes for this.’ Like the voter I.D., we don’t have the votes for that. Well, we might want to do something about that,” he said. Hawley said he has been “totally in the dark” about McConnell’s condition and told the outlet that “I never had any idea about any of his health stuff.”
Sen. Josh Hawley delivers the Duke K. McCall Leadership Lecture at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary on April 16, 2026.
When asked about term limits, Hawley said he has “nothing against colleagues who are older,” citing Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is 92. “Chuck is sharp as a tack and spry and all that stuff,” Hawley said.
“But I do think there needs to be term limits. People just come here and stay forever. And I don’t think it’s what the founders intended,” Hawley continued. “I don’t think it’s what people want. So, I’ve always been a big proponent of a constitutional amendment for term limits.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Josh Hawley criticizes Mitch McConnell over health-related absence