Add The New York Post on Google A Republican senator tried to tell Sen. Mitch McConnell how to vote Wednesday on the Kentucky Republican’s third-day back at work after a three-month absence due to health issues.
The scene played out during a farm bill markup hearing in the Senate Agriculture Committee.
When his name was called by the clerk, McConnell, 84, began to lift his finger and appeared ready to vote “aye” on moving the legislation forward.
At nearly the exact same moment, Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), who was seated next to McConnell, turned to him, leaned in and told the longtime senator to vote “no.”
McConnell voted to advance the farm bill out of committee despite being told to vote, “no” by a confused GOP senator. REUTERS Undeterred, McConnell quietly voted, “Aye” – but the clerk didn’t hear him.
Hoeven, again, looked over at the former Senate GOP leader and said, “No.”
The confusion prompted a staffer from an unknown office to quickly lean forward to tell the pair something that was not caught by the hot mic.
At the same time, Senate Agriculture Committee John Boozman (R-Ark.) looked over at McConnell and appeared to reassure him that he had it right the first time and “Aye” was the correct vote.
The clerk called McConnell’s name a second time and he once again said, “Aye” – with a little more volume.
“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 Republican told The Post.
McConnell returned to the Senate on Monday after a more than 90-day absence for health reasons. REUTERS McConnell’s spokesperson referred The Post to senator’s social media post on the passage of the farm bill.
The farm bill cleared the committee in a 12-11 vote along party lines. The measure had been stalled during McConnell’s more than 90-day absence.
“I want to commend Chairman Boozman for his work on the Farm Bill,” McConnell posted 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 on June 14 after a fall at home and then treated for pneumonia. He spent two months in the hospital before finishing his recovery at home.
Aides have been moving the senator around the Capitol in a wheelchair since his return.
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.
