WASHINGTON– The Senate’s top two Republicans have spoken individually with Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, according to aides, as the former Republican leader remains in the hospital more than three weeks after being admitted for undisclosed health problems.

McConnell’s aides have refused to release information about his condition, fueling speculation about his prognosis and whether he will be healthy enough to be in the Capitol when the Senate returns to Washington next week after a two-week recess. McConnell, 84, will retire at the end of his term in January.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he had spoken with McConnell by phone on Monday and that the two had a “long, substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security.” As leader, Thune usually stays up to date on illnesses and absences at his conference as he has to navigate the vote count and his narrow 53-47 majority.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, had a 20-minute conversation with McConnell on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman. The two discussed the Senate elections ahead of the midterm elections, the Supreme Court and other issues, according to the statement.

“Senator McConnell was fully engaged and eager to return to the Senate,” said Barrasso spokeswoman Kate Noyes.

Another McConnell ally, Republican strategist Scott Jennings, posted on X that he had also spoken with McConnell for 20 minutes on Tuesday and that he is “still recovering in the hospital.” Jennings said they talked about politics, foreign policy “and even a little bit of Senate history.”

McConnell was admitted to the hospital on June 14, according to a statement from his office that said only that he was “receiving excellent care.”

A week later, a statement said he would not vote that week. And on Thursday, a new statement said he “appreciates the great support he is receiving as he continues his recovery in the hospital.”

“The senator continues to improve and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session,” the statement said.

A McConnell spokesperson reissued the same statement Tuesday, with no new updates.

The senator’s unspecified health problems come after several hospitalizations in recent years.

While still Republican leader, McConnell was hospitalized with a concussion in March 2023 and missed several weeks of work after falling in a Washington hotel. He froze twice during news conferences after his return, staring blankly ahead before colleagues and staff, including Barrasso, who is a doctor, came to his aid.

A year later, he fell and sprained his wrist while leaving a Republican luncheon.

McConnell had polio in early childhood and has long acknowledged some difficulty as an adult walking and climbing stairs. He also tripped and fell in 2019 at his home in Kentucky and underwent surgery for a broken shoulder.

The Kentucky senator was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and was Republican leader from 2007 until last year, serving as both majority and minority leader during that period. He has remained active as a rank-and-file senator, showing up to work when the House is in session, often using a wheelchair to get around.