McConnell misses annual Kentucky ham breakfast despite frequent attendance in years past

LOUISVILLE — Kentucky Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell continues to be absent from public life after he was hospitalized in June. 

McConnell did not attend the Kentucky Farm Bureau Country Ham Breakfast at the state fair Thursday morning, an event he usually attends, and often uses to discuss the congressional farm bill. 

Kentucky’s two senators and the governor are typically invited to address the breakfast, which gathers a crowd of hundreds, including politicians and farmers from across the state. Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear also did not attend this year, but KFB President Eddie Melton said staff for both senators were present. 

“He’s been here as long as I can remember coming to this Country Ham Breakfast. He’s been here every year,” Melton said of McConnell, adding that he wishes McConnell “can improve and get back and run this thing through the tape at the end of the year.”

McConnell, 84, was hospitalized in June and said on July 12 he would enter a rehabilitation center. Since he has been absent in the U.S. Senate, speculation about his vitality has run rampant online. His office has shared photos of him with his wife, former Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. He has not made any video appearances.

Asked on Wednesday about if McConnell was planning to go to the ham breakfast and for updates on his health, a spokesperson for the senator referred to an Aug. 6 statement where McConnell had said he will “an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period” and continue to work with staff and colleagues. 

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, the Republican candidate running for McConnell’s seat this year, told reporters he last spoke to McConnell three weeks ago and “he was in good spirits and recovering.” Barr added that Republican Senate Leader John Thune had said McConnell is expected back in the Senate when it returns on Sept. 14 to make critical votes throughout the rest of the year. 

U.S. Rep. James Comer, another Republican, said he spoke to McConnell’s staff Thursday morning and they “hope he’s on the Senate floor very soon.” 

“That farm bill — something he’s always been involved in. He’s won a lot of awards from Farm Bureau over the years, so he wants to certainly cast a vote for the farm bill,” Comer said. 

Earlier this month, McConnell was not present at an Agriculture Committee committee to advance this year’s farm bill to the floor. He had attempted to cast a vote by proxy but Senate rules prevented it.

Comer said he will be on the conference committee for the bill after it makes its way through the House and Senate. The legislation is a “little bit of a safety net” for American farmers, he added. 

“We’re going to do everything we can because the tariffs have not been good for agriculture in America, especially Kentucky, and with the rising cost of gasoline, it’s really affected the input costs,” Comer said. “Fertilizer costs are directly related to fuel costs. So, the farmers are under a lot of challenges.”

President Donald Trump, who has made tariffs a cornerstone of his foreign policy in his second term, signed a proclamation on Wednesday to boost lean beef imports from other countries to lower prices for consumers. American farmers have been critical of the policy. Earlier this week, Melton released a statement saying the president’s plan to move to “greater reliance on foreign beef could hurt American farmers and create long-term consequences for consumers.” 

Comer said farmers “are overwhelmingly opposed to this decision,” though he understands Trump’s goal of lowering grocery prices. The best solution is to “increase the cattle inventory,” Comer said before adding that it does take longer to raise cattle compared to other farm animals, such as chickens. 

“I’ve expressed my displeasure with the president and the secretary of agriculture, explained why we don’t buy beef from Argentina,” Comer said. “And when you talk about America First, if we’re going to have tariffs — we should stick with it one way or the other.”

Barr has set up a Friday meeting between U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnik and Kentucky cattle farmers. Barr also said “the long-term solution to this is to build up our herd.”