As senators return to Washington after a five-week recess, attention is focused on whether Mitch McConnell will make his first appearance on Capitol Hill since being hospitalized following a fall in June. The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican has been absent from the Senate for roughly three months while recovering from injuries sustained in the accident. During that period, he has continued to receive his annual Senate salary of $174,000, meaning he has earned nearly $45,000 during his absence.
Newsweek has contacted McConnell's office for comment. According to reporting by CNN, James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee, said members of McConnell's staff had told him it was their "goal" for the senator to return when the Senate reconvened. Comer added: "I expect that.
I sure hope so." There have been other suggestions that McConnell may return when lawmakers come back from recess, though his office has not publicly confirmed anything. Newsweek reached out to Comer via email for comment. While questions continue to swirl over when McConnell will return to Capitol Hill, one thing has remained unchanged throughout his recovery: his Senate salary.
McConnell receives an annual salary of $174,000 as a rank-and-file senator. Although he has not appeared in the Senate since his June hospitalization, senators continue to receive their salary while serving in office, regardless of whether they are absent because of illness. Based on his annual pay, McConnell earns approximately $476.71 per day.
Over the course of a 94-day absence, that amounts to roughly $44,811, meaning he has earned just shy of $45,000 since stepping away from Capitol Hill. The figure is likely to draw renewed attention as lawmakers return to Washington and speculation mounts over whether the Kentucky Republican will resume his duties this week. McConnell's prolonged absence has prompted questions from political figures in his home state and from some constituents seeking greater transparency about his health and plans to return to public office.
If McConnell does not return immediately, that total will continue to rise by roughly $476 for every additional day he remains away from the Senate. Unlike hourly employees, members of Congress are paid a fixed annual salary, meaning their compensation is not tied to attendance. Nevertheless, McConnell's absence has become a growing topic of discussion as the Senate reconvenes after its summer recess and attention turns to whether the longtime Republican leader will return to Washington as expected.
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