Wednesday’s incident in which Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had difficulty speaking in a public setting comes at a time of heightened concern about the health and ages of U.S. political leaders. But the Kentucky Republican is not even among the 10 oldest members of the current Congress.
Earlier this year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was absent from Washington for months with a bout of shingles and its after-effects. Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress at age 90, was subject to questions about her efficacy in a time of slim majorities in Congress. She returned to Congress and plans to retire at the end of her current term, which expires in January 2025.
