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Mitch McConnell has been out sick for two months while still receiving his Senate salary. His voting record on medical leave is now getting renewed scrutiny.According to reports, McConnell was hospitalized on June 14 after a fall that left him unconscious. He stayed in the hospital until mid-July, then moved to a rehabilitation center. On August 6, he said he had been discharged and was continuing recovery at home.During that time, he has missed 59 Senate floor votes, while continuing to receive his $174,000 annual Senate salary.That kind of job protection is normal in Congress. It is not guaranteed for millions of American workers.The United States has no federal law guaranteeing paid sick leave. In 2025, about 27 million private sector workers had no paid sick leave.McConnell’s record on the issue is complicated but notable. In 1990, he supported the Family and Medical Leave Act, saying it was needed “to promote the well-being of American families.” That bill offered up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave, but it was vetoed by President George H. W. Bush.By 1991, McConnell had reversed course, citing the recession and opposing what he called “massive work force mandates.” He later voted against the FMLA in 1993, when it passed and was signed by President Bill Clinton.Since entering the Senate in 1985, McConnell has voted against creating or expanding medical leave, paid and unpaid, at least 23 times. That includes votes related to paid sick time, Covid-era leave, federal employee leave, and a 2022 proposal to give rail workers seven paid sick days.Should elected officials have to live under the same leave rules as the workers they represent?Sources: Truthout, Daily Kos, GovTrack, Popular Information#MitchMcConnell #PaidSickLeave #USPolitics