Another GOP Lawmaker ABSENT From Capitol Hill Following ‘Terminal Diagnosis’

No sooner did one House Republican return from a nearly four-month absence did another announce his plans to skip votes for what appears to be much more serious reasons.

After Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) addressed his reappearance and revealed the depression diagnosis that caused him to miss more than 100 votes, one of his GOP colleagues confirmed another vote would be chipped away from the party’s narrow majority.

According to Raw Story:

Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) says he is not physically well enough to make it to the Capitol, a source inside his office told Punchbowl News.

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The 73-year-old lawmaker was diagnosed with a terminal illness and has not voted since June 11. Insiders told Punchbowl News he is in daily contact with GOP leadership.

The news sparked some attention on social media:

that's okay its not like you have an important job or anything

— apolitical nico (@nicocubstweets) July 2, 2026

These politicians are leeches who live off taxpayers. No integrity to resign and let someone who can do the job.

— Lela (@Lelaflumen) July 2, 2026

So why doesn't he resign?

— Animal Lover 🦅🇺🇸 Fins Up! 🐬 (@AnimalsRockOn) July 2, 2026

Here’s what Yahoo News added:

Donald Trump put the 73-year-old lawmaker on blast in March, prematurely revealing at a White House event that Dunn was suffering from a terminal heart problem and would be “dead by June.”

“Congressman Neal Dunn of Florida had had some real health challenges, and it was very serious, and had had a pretty grim diagnosis,” House Speaker Mike Johnson admitted at the event at Trump’s behest. “I mentioned it to the president. I said, ‘Congressman Dunn is a real champion and a patriot because he’s still coming to work, and if others got this diagnosis, they would be apt to go home and retire.'”

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“What was the diagnosis?” Trump pressed.

“It was—I mean, I think it was a terminal diagnosis,” Johnson said.

“He would be dead by June,” Trump interjected, before Johnson confessed, “That wasn’t public.”

Dunn has not been on Capitol Hill since June 11 and has so far missed 11 votes, according to his voting record. Nonetheless, he has not announced any plans to truncate his time in office. In January, Dunn released a statement indicating that he would not seek reelection, though the former Army surgeon is apparently not planning to formally bow out before the end of his term.