Sen. Mitch McConnell was briefly given voting instructions by a fellow Republican Wednesday, during the Kentucky senator’s third day back on Capitol Hill following a three-month absence related to health problems.
The exchange unfolded at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing focused on marking up the farm bill.
When the clerk called his name, McConnell, 84, raised a finger and appeared poised to vote “aye” on advancing the legislation.
But Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), seated beside him, turned toward the longtime senator and quietly instructed him to vote “no.”
McConnell went ahead and said, “Aye,” although the clerk apparently did not hear him.
Hoeven then glanced back at the former Senate Republican leader and repeated, “No.”
The apparent mix-up led a staffer from an unidentified office to lean toward the two senators and offer an explanation that was not picked up by the live microphone.
Around the same time, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.) looked toward McConnell and appeared to confirm that his original vote was correct: “Aye.”
When the clerk called McConnell’s name again, he repeated “Aye,” this time speaking more loudly.
“Senator Hoeven initially thought the vote was to overrule the chair, then realized the vote was on final passage,” a spokesperson for the North Dakota senator told The Post.
McConnell’s spokesperson directed The Post to a social media post in which the senator addressed the farm bill’s passage.
The measure passed the committee by a 12-11 vote along party lines after remaining stalled during McConnell’s more than 90-day absence.
“I want to commend Chairman Boozman for his work on the Farm Bill,” McConnell wrote on X after the vote. “As a member of the Agriculture Committee since my first day in the United States Senate, I was proud to vote yes on the Farm Bill on behalf of the hardworking farm families across Kentucky.”
McConnell was hospitalized June 14 after falling at home and later received treatment for pneumonia. He spent two months in the hospital before continuing his recovery at home.
Since returning to the Capitol, aides have been helping move the senator around in a wheelchair.
His staff shared only two photographs of McConnell during his absence and provided few updates on his condition – prompting public concern over whether the senator was fit to serve out his term.
