McConnell to skip Fancy Farm picnic; physician says he's not cleared to return to Senate

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced Monday that he will miss the annual picnic in Fancy Farm, Ky., the state's premier political event that he has attended for more than 40 years, as he recovers from a serious fall at his Washington home last month.
McConnell has been discharged from hospital care but continues to recover at a rehab facility, according to a statement provided by the Capitol's Office of the Attending Physician.
McConnell, 84, said he's "working hard" to return to the Senate but needs to continue what he described as "intense physical therapy" that will keep him away from the Fancy Farm picnic, which is hosted by St. Jerome Catholic Church in western Kentucky.
"There's no place I'd rather be on the first Saturday in August than with the good people of western Kentucky, feasting on pork and mutton," McConnell said in a statement shared by his office.
"When I first attended forty-two years ago, Fancy Farm was a pretty lonely place to be a Republican. But, my, how times have changed. Today, western Kentucky is a conservative Republican sea of red. So I hate that I'll miss the fun this year, but I'm sending my best wishes to the St. Jerome community for a successful picnic," he said.
Congress's attending physician said in a statement circulated by McConnell's office that the former Senate GOP leader is undergoing "a strenuous course of physical therapy and has not yet been cleared to return to the Senate."
"Senator McConnell continues his recovery from a fall at home in June. OAP physicians visit with the Senator every day, discussing all aspects of his rehabilitation care. Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls," the physician said.
The medical officer cited McConnell's childhood bout with polio as a "significant factor in his mobility."
McConnell's extended absence has paralyzed the Senate Appropriations Committee, on which Republicans hold a 15-14 majority.
Without McConnell's vote, Republicans cannot report spending bills out of the committee unless at least one Democrat votes for the legislation.