--- title: Why Has Rep. Tom Kean Been Absent From Congress for Months? description: The New Jersey Congressman has not made any public appearances, set foot on the House floor, or cast a vote since March 5. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/05/29/tom-kean-house-congress-absence/ author: Connor Greene article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-05-29T21:50:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-30T18:56:48.146Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why Has Rep. Tom Kean Been Absent From Congress for Months? og:description: The New Jersey Congressman has not made any public appearances, set foot on the House floor, or cast a vote since March 5. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/05/29/tom-kean-house-congress-absence/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt790e14a6b606ded9/6a1a06e52020b67697c6bf03/GettyImages-2217992845.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: GettyImages-2217992845.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Has Rep. Tom Kean Been Absent From Congress for Months? twitter:description: The New Jersey Congressman has not made any public appearances, set foot on the House floor, or cast a vote since March 5. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt790e14a6b606ded9/6a1a06e52020b67697c6bf03/GettyImages-2217992845.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Who Is Rep. Tom Kean, and Why Has He Been Absent From Congress for Months? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=fddaa7fd-777b-4058-bb72-e7fed428db1a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. Explains He Was Treated for Depression During Months-Long Absence From Congress [Watch (HLS stream): Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. Explains He Was Treated for Depression During Months-Long Absence From Congress](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/AzCV8zeo.m3u8) (2:15)  _Published 2026-06-30. New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean returned to Congress on Tuesday after an almost four-month absence from the lower chamber, revealing that he had been diagnosed with depression and spent an extended period in the hospital receiving treatment._ by [Connor Greene](https://time.com/author/connor-greene/) ## Connor Greene Reporter May 29, 2026 9:50 PM UTC by [Connor Greene](https://time.com/author/connor-greene/) ## Connor Greene Reporter May 29, 2026 9:50 PM UTC For nearly three months, Republican Rep. Tom Kean of New Jersey has been a ghost—he has not made public appearances, stepped onto the House floor, or cast a vote. Since March 5, Kean has offered very little information about his absence. On April 27, he said in a [statement](https://x.com/KeanForCongress/status/2048871625525760161) that he was addressing “a personal medical issue” and that “my doctors continue to assure me that my recovery will be complete and that I will be back to the job I love very soon,” but offered no further details. “I want to thank my constituents and colleagues for their patience,” he said at the time, stressing that “I take my responsibilities very seriously.” Then, last week, Kean gave his first interview since the start of his prolonged absence, telling the [New Jersey Globe](https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/kean-says-hell-be-expects-full-recovery-confirms-re-election-bid/) that he would come back to work “in the next couple of weeks.” “My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” Kean said during the phone interview. “I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents.” TIME has reached out to Kean’s office for comment. As well as being a member of the Republican Party's current, razor-thin majority in the House, Kean sits in a swing seat in New Jersey’s seventh congressional district, which the Cook Political Report [rates](https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings) among the most competitive in this year’s high-stakes midterm elections. Kean’s seat could prove crucial in the GOP’s battle to retain House control, which has made his absence a significant point of concern for the party. Kean, who is unopposed in the Republican primary for his seat on June 2, confirmed in his interview with the Globe last week that he is still running for reelection. He told the New Jersey outlet that he is in contact with his congressional office every day, and has been staying on top of goings-on in Congress and his district. Kean has also recently been speaking with some Republican officials in his state. The New York [_Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/nyregion/tom-kean-new-jersey-missing.html) reported that Kean made calls last week to Carlos Santos, Union County’s Republican chairman, and Joe LaBarbera, Sussex County’s Republican chairman. When LaBarbera asked what Kean needed, the Congressman responded, “just your prayers,” according to the _Times._ Santos told the outlet that Kean “sounded healthy.” Other county leaders also received calls from Kean, the _Times_ reported. House Speaker Mike Johnson, meanwhile, said on Wednesday that he spoke to Kean on a call “a few weeks ago.” But the New Jersey Congressman’s colleagues on Capitol Hill appear to be in the dark when it comes to the specifics of his absence. “I don’t even know the details, and I respect that. It’s members’ personal privacy on whatever matters they’re dealing with,” Johnson said. As well as being absent from Congress for more than 75 days, NOTUS [reported](https://www.notus.org/congress/tom-kean-jr-absences-new-jersey) last week that Kean’s neighbors in New Jersey had not seen him and said that his home had been dark for a number of weeks. In addition to the recent calls Kean has made to other Republicans and to the press, however, NOTUS [reported](https://www.notus.org/newsletters/deal-or-no-deal) that he signed a congressional stock transaction form last Friday, which, according to the outlet, showed that he made five trades in April. NOTUS additionally reported that Kean made stock trades leading up to the public statement in which he shared that he was dealing with a “personal medical issue.” The Democratic primary candidates in the race for Kean’s seat have all commented on his absence. Some have been more vocal than others, publicly chastising him for his opacity ahead of what is expected to be a competitive general election race. “If you were missing work, you would tell your boss, and Tom Kean Jr.’s boss is the people. He did not tell us. That’s it. And in the time that he did not show up for work, he has raised more than $600,000 just from corporate PACs alone. That tells you who his boss is,” said Democratic candidate Michael Roth. “It is time that we get a member of Congress who will show up.” Tina Shah, another candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination, knocked Kean for relying on his team to carry on communications rather than speaking himself. “What we are being assured is that his team is carrying the torch, but we elected Tom Kean Jr., not his team,” she said. Rebecca Bennett, who is also vying to take on Kean and flip his seat, has struck a more restrained tone when speaking about the Congressman’s absence, highlighting that he has long been somewhat of a reserved political figure who avoids the limelight. “He is never around, he’s not on the ground, he doesn’t meet with voters, and he doesn’t meet with constituents,” she said to the Washington [_Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/05/29/republicans-fear-tom-kean-jrs-absence-could-cost-them-house-seat/). “And so, to me, this is just an extension of how he’s been in office from the beginning.” Kean flipped the seat in the House when he was first elected in 2022 by a less-than-three-point margin. He widened that edge in 2024, winning reelection by more than five points. Kean, the son of former two-term New Jersey governor Thomas Howard Kean and grandson of former long-time New Jersey Rep. Robert Kean, previously served as the minority leader in the state senate and a lawmaker in the state House before his election to Congress. ## Transcript This is not an easy speech for me to give. I am a private person by nature, and I have spent most of my life talking about the people that I represent, the issues facing our communities, and the work that continues to be done. We're talking about myself has never come naturally. But I believe that I owe an explanation to the people of New Jersey's seventh district, to my colleagues in this chamber and to the American people for my absence. Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing. I did not believe that this would result in a long term stay. I was given the diagnosis of depression. Now, when people hear the word depression, many people think simply means feeling sad. But depression is so much more than that. It is physical. It is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be. The doctors recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness, I began to understand not only my diagnosis, but how long depression had been affecting my life. When I first informed the public that I was dealing with a medical issue, I was still trying to understand what was happening myself. When I said, I hope to return in a matter of weeks, I believed it. Those were the best estimates the doctors 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. Today, I am grateful that I listened to my doctors, and I am grateful for the exceptional care that I received from doctors, nurses and support staff. I am grateful that I accepted help because today I stand before you healthier, stronger and excited to return to the work that I love. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/29/tom-kean-house-congress-absence/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/29/tom-kean-house-congress-absence/"},"headline":"Who Is Rep. 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