POLITICS
Republican Party
AOC demands McConnell share a health update or resign
Lillian MetzmeierUSA TODAY NETWORK
Updated July 23, 2026, 9:01 p.m. ET
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told reporters that Sen. Mitch McConnell needs to provide a health update or resign
In a video originally posted by MeidasTouch on July 23, Ocasio-Cortez told reporters the Republican senator’s most recent update lacked clarity
“If he can’t give us an update, he should resign, absolutely,” she said. “I think it’s been very clear to people across Kentucky that his update was not sufficient.”
McConnell, 84, has been absent from Congress since he was hospitalized in June. Since then, the senator’s team shared minimal updates before McConnell released a letter to his constituents July 12, writing that he was recovering in a rehabilitation facility and working to return to the Senate floor
The letter came days after Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wrote to McConnell, who has served seven terms representing the state and was first elected to the Senate in 1984, requesting he update Kentuckians
“As public officeholders, we have made a commitment to our constituents to do our best to represent them and to always be transparent,” Beshear wrote July 8. “I believe this requires clear communication about one’s ability to serve.”
‘How is everyone pretending this is normal?’
Earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez, who is commonly known as AOC, expressed shock over McConnell’s continued absence from Congress, calling it “not normal.”
“I mean, I don’t even know how this is legal at this point. I find it shocking,” the congresswoman from New York told a reporter outside the U.S. Capitol on July 14. “How is everyone pretending this is normal? This is not normal at all.”
Another lawmaker has also questioned McConnell’s prolonged absence from Congress
Sen. Josh Hawley wished his Republican colleague and his family well during a Fox News Digital interview published on July 19, but said that “at a certain point you do have an obligation to your constituents and the country to tell them what’s going on.”
Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr. and Jay Stahl, USA TODAY
Reach reporter Lillian Metzmeier at lmetzmeier@usatodayco.com
