Mitch McConnell absence blocks Trump priorities

Mitch McConnell absence blocks Trump priorities

The absence of Senator Mitch McConnell from the Senate has entered its fourth week, with little explanation and no timeline for his return. McConnell, who chairs the Senate's Rules and Administration Committee, has not scheduled any hearings on the SAVE America Act, a bill that Trump says will "guarantee the midterms." The bill's supporters claim it is needed to prevent (nonexistent) voting from noncitizens in federal elections, but in practice, it makes it harder for Americans to vote. McConnell has expressed his opposition to the bill, arguing that the president taking away too much control over election from states will become something Democrats later exploit.

The bill's backers in the Senate have had to go around McConnell to try passing it. They attempted to attach it to other major bills, including funding packages for the Department of Homeland Security and immigration enforcement, but both efforts failed to even garner a majority. McConnell and three other Republicans voted with Democrats to block the amendments in each instance.

McConnell's absence is also affecting the Senate's work on defense spending. As chair of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee that handles defense spending, McConnell is in the middle of two inflection points. The Trump administration had requested $1.5 trillion for the military, a sum that even Pentagon staffers were struggling to figure out how to spend. The Appropriations Committee's work has already stalled out over a disagreement on topline spending levels, and McConnell's continued absence would only drag things out further once that's resolved.

Furthermore, the deadline for the usual appropriations process for the coming fiscal year is Oct. 1, and there are only so many legislative days left. Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are also planning a third budget reconciliation bill focused on Pentagon funding, but without McConnell's vote, Republican leadership may struggle to maintain unity among moderate members.

Emergency dispatch records showing paramedics were sent to the Washington residence of Senator Mitch McConnell on June 14 for a reported “cardiac arrest” have triggered fresh questions regarding the 84-year-old Republican’s condition and his future in the Senate. The lack of health transparency has renewed a wider political debate in Washington.

According to Al Cross, a veteran political commentator, the lack of public details is feeding the rumor mill. "They’re causing themselves problems by not saying more about it, but he’s always been very private about his health matters," Cross said. Unverified claims regarding the severity of McConnell’s health have circulated widely online, with some speculating that he may not return to the Senate.

If McConnell chooses to step down before his term ends, it would trigger a unique legal process in his home state, with the Republican-controlled state legislature overseeing a special election to fill the vacant seat.

The Senate has faced calls from President Donald Trump and other aligned Republicans to pass the "SAVE America Act," a federal elections bill McConnell has said he opposes. McConnell has also missed more than 20 votes in the chamber since June 14, from votes to confirm federal judges and U.S. Ambassadors to pushes to rein in the U.S. Military's operations in Iran.

McConnell's potentially lengthy time away from Washington may likewise be a major reason for this shuffling, sleepwalking Congress to remain stalled out for the foreseeable future. The pending campaign season and a low sense of morale among Hill Republicans have GOP leaders reportedly worried about getting much of anything done in the coming months. Narrow majorities mean that even one or two missing members in either the House or Senate could be the deciding factor in whether a measure passes or fails.

In a letter released Wednesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear asked the 81-year-old senator with a history of medical issues to "fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health."

The Senate is currently in recess and is not scheduled to reconvene until July 13.