{"id":3224,"date":"2026-07-15T19:40:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3224"},"modified":"2026-07-15T19:40:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:40:28","slug":"will-mitch-mcconnells-absence-in-the-senate-affect-legislation-on-capitol-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3224","title":{"rendered":"Will Mitch McConnell\u2019s absence in the Senate affect legislation on Capitol Hill?"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Sen. Mitch McConnell\u2019s ongoing absence could impact agriculture and defense policy on Capitol Hill, as the GOP tries to navigate a slim majority in the Senate without McConnell\u2019s influential voice.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3223\">Chance of tropical disturbance bubbling in gulf. What to know for Hilton Head area<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>McConnell\u2019s hospitalization has mostly taken place during the Senate\u2019s recess, but with Congress back in session and Republicans control the Senate with a 53 to 47 majority, McConnell\u2019s absence could derail a defense spending package and efforts to advancing a farm bill.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMcConnell\u2019s absence likely hadn\u2019t had much effect because Congress wasn\u2019t doing a lot of business,\u201d Stephen Voss, a University of Kentucky political science professor, said. \u201cBut now they\u2019re back in session, and the empty seat can make more of a difference. Republicans have had sufficient numbers that purely by the math, losing one Republican didn\u2019t necessarily have that much harmful impact, but the GOP is having a harder time holding its coalition together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>McConnell, 84, was hospitalized June 14 and is still recovering, he said Sunday, The timeline for his return to the Senate is still unknown. After weeks of his office releasing few details on his health condition, McConnell and his doctor released a comprehensive statement Sunday that explained he was being treated for a fall and slight case of pneumonia.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The Senate GOP also recently lost Lindsey Graham, a longtime Republican senator from South Carolina, who died Sunday after a \u201cbrief and sudden illness.\u201d Graham was one of President Donald Trump\u2019s staunchest political allies and also served on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>McConnell chairs the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, which is the panel that controls Pentagon spending. Without McConnell\u2019s vote, Republican lawmakers can\u2019t advance any defense funding bills without the backing of some Democrats.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But Democrats aren\u2019t expected to throw their support because of the partisan disputes over defense spending, according to reporting from The Hill.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers are also racing against the clock with around 24 days left in the Senate legislative calendar, and stalling the defense budget process could lead to a gap in military funding as the U.S. continues to engage in attacks to Iran. The end of the fiscal year is Sept. 30.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The other policy that could be at stake is the farm bill \u2014 Republicans don\u2019t have enough votes without McConnell to advance it out of the Senate Agriculture Committee.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>According to Politico, Democrats are opposing the bill as it is because it does not include their top policy demands. That includes delaying the start date for states to begin sharing the cost of providing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3222\">34 years after stabbed baby found in Catawba River, SC mother\u2019s conviction upheld<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Sen. John Boozman, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, told Politico Tuesday he hopes McConnell can participate in the bill\u2019s markup. During a bill markup, lawmakers negotiate, debate and vote on whether to send the bill to the full chamber.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Voss said if McConnell\u2019s missing vote does have an impact, \u201cwe won\u2019t know because we won\u2019t see the effect of Mitch McConnell\u2019s absence on policy.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cUsually, by the time something goes up for a vote &#8230; the party whip knows the breakdown,\u201d Voss said. \u201cIf McConnell\u2019s absence is affecting the politics of an issue, it may affect it quietly. It may convince the bill\u2019s handlers to slip in something desired by a different Republican because they need to make up for McConnell\u2019s vote not being available. We won\u2019t necessarily see the impact because it happens behind the scenes implicitly rather than an event you can mark down in the calendar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>While some Republicans have confidence McConnell will return to the Senate for key votes, one Democrat is questioning the legality of McConnell\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, told Fox News Tuesday that McConnell\u2019s absence \u201cis not normal at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cListen, things do happen,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez said. \u201cPeople get into medical incidents. If you\u2019re in the hospital, you\u2019re in the hospital. But I do think that there should be some sort of&#8230; there\u2019s a line here. And I think almost everyone can agree that it\u2019s been crossed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, meanwhile told Fox News McConnell is \u201cas tough as nails.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t have any doubt if there was a vote for a Supreme Court Justice tomorrow that he\u2019d find a way to be here for that,\u201d Marshall said. \u201cI think he\u2019ll be here when we need him, and I just would never count him out. He\u2019ll be back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3220\">Mom Christine Wonsley pleads for peace as she prepares to bury son Nolan Wells<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s no timeline yet on when Mitch McConnell will return to the Senate. Here\u2019s how his absence could affect advancing defense spending and the farm bill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Will Mitch McConnell\u2019s absence in the Senate affect legislation on Capitol Hill? - US Moving Experts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3224\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Will Mitch McConnell\u2019s absence in the Senate affect legislation on Capitol Hill? - US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There\u2019s no timeline yet on when Mitch McConnell will return to the Senate. 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