1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

Dear Members of Congress, On September 16, 2026, Senator Mitch McConnell was wheeled into a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing in a wheelchair, two days after returning from a 92-day absence following a serious fall. When his name was called during the roll call vote on the Farm Bill, he did not respond. Senator Amy Klobuchar prompted him. Committee Chairman John Boozman leaned over and appeared to tell him how to vote. Senator McConnell quietly said "aye." His vote was the tiebreaker. The bill passed 12-11. We are not writing to condemn Senator McConnell. We are writing to condemn his colleagues. A man who cannot respond to his own name being called deserves dignity, rest, and care — not to be wheeled into a hearing room to cast a deciding vote because his party needed his body in a chair. Whatever Senator McConnell's wishes, his colleagues made a choice. They chose the vote over the man. That is not loyalty. That is exploitation. And we cannot help but notice the contrast. Senator McConnell spent decades in the Senate blocking paid family and medical leave for millions of American workers — people who lose their jobs, their income, and sometimes their livelihoods when illness strikes them or someone they love. He voted against the FAMILY Act. He blocked paid leave provisions repeatedly. Yet for 92 days, Senator McConnell collected his $174,000 salary in full. He was not docked. He did not lose his job. He did not lose his health insurance. His family did not have to choose between his care and their financial survival. The protections he denied to millions of Americans protected him. We are calling on Congress to pass the FAMILY Act and guarantee paid medical and family leave for every American worker, establish clear and transparent standards for when a senator is unable to fulfill their duties, and treat the people of this country with the same dignity Senator McConnell's colleagues failed to show him on Wednesday.