After A Nearly Four-Month Absence, GOP Lawmaker Returns To Congress With An Explanation

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) has been the subject of significant speculation this year as he has been conspicuously absent from Capitol Hill for nearly four straight months.

That amounts to 140 missed votes as he dealt with what, until this week, had been an undisclosed health condition.

When he finally returned to the job this week, he offered an apparently emotional explanation, as Fox News reported:

Kean said he was given a diagnosis of depression after entering the hospital for “some testing.” He said the illness took him months to heal from and left him under doctors’ care during a prolonged stay in the hospital. 

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“I’m grateful that I accepted help, because today I stand before you stronger, healthier and excited to return to the work that I love,” Kean said on the House floor.

Tuesday’s speech came after Kean, 57, returned to Washington this week after being absent since early March. A spokesperson for the New Jersey Republican said earlier this month that Kean would return for the June 30 session. 

I’m healthier, stronger, and more determined than ever to serve the people of New Jersey’s Seventh District.

Thank you. I’m honored to be back. Let’s get to work.

— Tom Kean (@KeanForCongress) June 30, 2026

The revelation soon sparked a new wave of social media discussion:

I wish him a full recovery.
It speaks to how depression is still so stigmatized that it took him this long to disclose it?

— M. Elisabeth (@ChildrenNeedUs_) June 30, 2026

…that's awesome; he had that privilege. The rest of us have to keep showing up for work, or we lose everything.

— shannonmarie (@_thethirdwife) June 30, 2026

The New York Post added these details:

“I began to understand not only my diagnosis, but how long depression had been affecting my life,” he said.

“When I first informed the public that I was dealing with a medical issue, I was still trying to understand what was happening myself,” he said of the shroud of secrecy behind his absence.

“When I said I hope to return in a matter of weeks, I believed it. Those were the best estimates that the doctor could provide. But as the over 48 million of my fellow Americans being treated for this illness have come to discover, there is no timeline for healing. There is no timeline for recovery. Only the work of getting better one day at a time,” he said.

Here’s his full statement: