Senator Mitch McConnell has been in a Washington hospital for three weeks. His extended absence throws the defense budget process into chaos just before the midterm elections. The 84-year-old lawmaker was admitted on June 14 for undisclosed medical issues. His staff maintained that he remains engaged in Senate work but they have offered no timeline for his return to Capitol Hill.
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Subscribe Sekarang →The timing is difficult for the White House. President Donald Trump wants a $350 billion military boost through a party-line budget reconciliation measure. According to Senate records, lawmakers are already moving a separate fiscal year 2027 spending bill that would provide a record $1.15 trillion budget for the military.
McConnell leads the Senate Appropriations panel that controls Pentagon spending. Before his illness, the Kentucky Republican openly opposed the administration's budget strategy. Based on his remarks at an Air Force budget hearing just days before his hospitalization, McConnell stated that "it's safe to conclude there will not be another reconciliation bill."
Trump has pushed Congress to act quickly. On Tuesday, the president demanded that Republican leadership make the $350 billion measure their top priority. However, McConnell preferred using the traditional, bipartisan appropriations process rather than a party-line vote to ensure proper oversight of critical items like advanced fighter jets and missile production.
Without McConnell, the Republican path in the Senate is narrow. Majority Leader John Thune can only lose two votes to pass the measure. According to a report by Yahoo News, Thune has not ruled out the bill but admits he does not yet see a clear path to victory in the chamber.
The senator's absence has also paralyzed the broader Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Susan Collins delayed critical budget markups in late June because Republicans lacked the numbers to counter Democrats. However, a McConnell aide stated that a larger partisan stalemate over spending levels is the primary cause of the delay.
McConnell has long defended an internationalist foreign policy, supporting aid to Ukraine and strong ties with NATO against Trump's isolationist platform. His absence has already impacted chamber business, allowing the Senate to pass a symbolic resolution cutting off military operations against Iran, a vote McConnell missed.