Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is demanding that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) verbally address the people of Kentucky and prove he can serve or resign.

“As Governor of the state you serve, I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign,” Beshear wrote in a letter. “Per our research, a vacancy in the Senate occurs when a senator dies, resigns, or is expelled by a vote of the Senate itself.”

“If you are unwilling to voluntarily show that you still have the capacity to serve, I will insist Leader [John] Thune fully investigate your condition, report to the American people, and begin the process if warranted,” he added.

McConnell, 84, was rushed to the hospital on June 14 after he was found unconscious at his home.

“It has now been 43 days since news of your hospitalization,” Beshear wrote to McConnell. “During that time you have cast zero votes, engaged in no official activities, and aside from two photos and corresponding statements, have made no effort to communicate with your Kentucky constituents or the nation. Even the attending physician’s written statement does not discuss your actual condition, including whether you can speak, reason, or carry out your duties as a senator.”

After weeks of silence, McConnell released a statement on July 12; he revealed that he was hospitalized after falling and losing consciousness and is recovering in a rehabilitation facility.

In a statement on Monday, McConnell’s office said the senator is still in a rehabilitation facility and will miss an annual picnic in Kentucky.

In a separate statement, the Office of the Attending Physician says that McConnell is continuing a course of physical therapy and rehabilitation and that he is “not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.”

In response to Beshear’s letter, Thune told reporters that it’s not his issue to resolve.

“I’ve seen that letter, but in any event, I think that’s an issue really that’s between Senator McConnell and the people of Kentucky,” he told NBC News. “I mean, if the governor wants to, I’m not sure what his prerogatives are in that case. But that’s where the issue should be resolved.”