Watch: Moment Mitch McConnell returns to Congress

US Senator Mitch McConnell has returned to Congress for the first time since he was admitted to hospital after a fall three months ago.

"I'm really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues," said the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican, before casting a vote on a judicial nomination.

McConnell's long absence provoked rampant speculation about his health, and demands from Democrats for transparency.

Read more about the Republican senator's return to work.