Senator John Hoeven urges Mitch McConnell to vote against farm bill during committee markup

In a Senate Agriculture Committee session, Mitch McConnell was ready to vote “aye” on moving the farm bill forward when John Hoeven whispered to him to vote “no.” Despite Hoeven’s urging, McConnell repeated his affirmative vote after the clerk called his name a second time, though the first attempt was not captured on the microphone. Committee chair John Boozman signaled that McConnell’s “aye” was correct, and the measure passed the committee 12-11 along party lines.

The vote concluded a period of stagnation that began when McConnell was hospitalized following a fall and pneumonia, keeping him out of the Capitol for over 90 days. After the vote, McConnell thanked Chairman Boozman on social media and expressed pride in supporting the farm families of Kentucky. His limited public updates during recovery have raised questions about his capacity to serve the remainder of his term.