The Republican US senator Mitch McConnell has been discharged from a rehabilitation center following the fall that left him hospitalized, he announced on Thursday.

McConnell, 84, whose weeks‑long absence from Capitol Hill fueled mounting speculation about his health, said he will continue his recovery at home.

While the Senate is set to wrap up legislative business this week, before a five‑week recess, several agenda items remain – including a vote to confirm Todd Blanche as US attorney general. McConnell’s absence further narrows Republicans’ already tight path to approving Donald Trump’s former personal attorney as head of the Department of Justice.

McConnell is one of the highest-profile figures in Congress, as a former Senate majority leader. He has been absent from the Senate and not seen in public since mid-June, although his office has released several photos of him.

“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period,” McConnell said in a Thursday statement. “And I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business.”

His 53‑day absence has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers in both parties. Last month, Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, publicly urged McConnell to release more information about his health, writing: “Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and wellbeing, and ability to hold office.”

McConnell was admitted to hospital on 14 June. His office initially offered few details, saying only that he was “continuing to improve”.

A month later, McConnell disclosed that a fall at his home and a “mild case of pneumonia” had prompted the hospitalization and his extended time away. In late July, his office said he still had not been cleared to return to work.