McConnell, who is serving his seventh six-year term in the Senate, became GOP leader in 2007. He has held the post for longer than any other Republican and for years has been among the most powerful elected officials in Washington.
He previously underwent surgery following a serious fall in August 2019, when he fractured his shoulder after tripping outside his Louisville home. The procedure kept him out of the public eye for weeks as he spent the congressional break recovering at home and undertaking physical therapy.
The senator, who overcame polio as a child, also has a history of heart issues and underwent triple bypass surgery in 2003, just after being promoted to the No. 2 Senate Republican post.
When pictures emerged in 2020 showing his hands bruised and bandaged, he downplayed interest in his health as media hype. As of December, the average age in the Senate was 64.
Last month, he pushed back against calls from within his own party to scale down funding in support of Ukraine as the Russian invasion passed the one-year mark.
He also recently appeared in Helsinki to support Finland’s bid to join NATO, and was also among a group of nearly 50 U.S. lawmakers who traveled to the Munich Security Conference last month to reassure European allies of America’s commitment to back Ukraine with weapons and funds.
The issue is dividing Republicans believed to be vying for their party’s 2024 presidential nomination. They include former president Donald Trump, who is a critic of McConnell and has made racist remarks about his wife, former transportation secretary Elaine Chao.
Leigh Ann Caldwell, Missy Khamvongsa and Liz Goodwin contributed to this report.
