Mitch McConnell is surprisingly back in action on the Senate floor, though many are wondering if he’s able to do his job properly.
The politician has returned to work following a three-month absence and hospital stay after recent health incidents. Many social media users were surprised to see that he had attended a Senate vote earlier this week, but were even more surprised when it appeared that he had to be told how to vote by his Republican colleagues after almost voting Democrat. The moment led to a new wave of backlash, with users insisting that an age limit be set for working US politicians, and more. Read more about the situation below.
Mitch McConnell Seemingly Gets Told How To Vote During Committee Meeting
Mitch McConnell returned to Capitol Hill this week after spending roughly three months away from the Senate following a June hospitalization. The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican was hospitalized after a fall at his Washington, D.C., home and later spent time in a rehabilitation center before continuing his recovery at home. He acknowledged upon his return that he wasn’t “100%” back to normal, but said he planned to be present for important votes.
On Wednesday, September 16th, Mitch attended a Senate Agriculture Committee meeting to vote on the Farm Bill. When his name was called, he initially appeared to vote “no,” despite Republicans supporting the measure. In video footage from the meeting, fellow senators, including John Hoeven and committee chairman John Boozman, leaned toward him and appeared to clarify how he should vote before he quickly corrected his vote to “aye.”
Video clips of the moment quickly drew attention online, particularly because it was only his second public appearance since his return. Afterward, his office posted a statement saying he was “proud to vote yes on the Farm Bill” and expressed support for the legislation’s provisions benefiting farmers and rural communities.
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Social Media Users React To Mitch's Vote & Call For His Retirement
The clip quickly sparked outrage online, with social media users questioning how the senator could continue serving in the Senate after appearing to need to be "told how to vote" by his fellow Republicans during the vote. Some called for age limits for elected officials, while others said they could not believe the moment had been allowed to happen in the first place.
The viral footage had people questioning why Mitch was still casting votes after his recent health-related absence.
"This is why term limits and age limits for public servants are long overdue in Washington," commented an Instagram user.
"Term limits are desperately needed," responded another. "If you are too old or too ill, you need to either step down or be removed."
"Remove the dinosaur now!" a user joked, with another commenting, "This is getting ridiculous!"
"Let's either impose a retirement age or preferably term limits," they continued. "This is unbelievable and wouldn't happen in any other business."
"How is any of this allowed to be happening?" a user asked. "This is diabolical that this is even happening in the first place. Our country is so cooked."
