New Jersey Republican Tom Kean returns to Capitol after long unexplained absence

Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) said on Tuesday that his lengthy and previously unexplained absence from the House was due to being treated for depression, publicly elaborating on the for the first time on the medical condition that had kept him away from Washington.

Kean made the disclosure in a floor speech when he returned to the Capitol on Tuesday after missing more than 100 House votes since March 5.

“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,” Kean said. “I was given the diagnosis of depression.”

“The doctors recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness,” Kean said. “They explained to me that this would be the fastest way to recovery, and to be honest, I was hesitant. I didn’t think that I had time for it …. Like many people, I believed that I could simply push through.”

“But I agreed to follow my doctor’s recommendations again, not believing that it would result in a long-term stay,” Kean said.

Before Tuesday’s floor speech, Kean’s absence was a mystery to most, and he and his office had provided only vague explanations. He had written in an April statement that he was addressing a “personal medical issue” without elaboration.

“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 hoped to return in a matter of weeks, I believed it,” Kean said on the House floor on Tuesday.

“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,” Kean said.

Now, he said, he is “healthier, stronger, and excited to return to the work that I love.”

Kean began his speech by saying that it did not feel natural to talk about himself, but he felt that he owed “an explanation to the people of New Jersey’s seventh district, the colleagues in this chamber, and to the American people for my absence.”

His prolonged absence had fueled speculation about his health and the timing of his return. His chief of staff told The New York Times when pressed, “There’s no cameras where Tom is.”

His mysterious absence also started to become a campaign issue. Kean has represented New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District since 2023, a seat that is rated as a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

Kean in his speech thanked his constituents for their patience, understanding, and prayers.

Asked about Kean at a Wednesday morning press conference, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he “encouraged him to be transparent.“

“If it were me I would have been more specific about that. … It’s not an uncommon kind of condition and ailment that he’s been fighting, and I think people resonate with that. I think he’ll get a lot of empathy, because it’s something that’s very, very common,” he said.

Kean is not the first lawmaker in recent years to be absent while being treated for depression. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) in 2023 was absent for six weeks as he received treatment for depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Fetterman, however, was upfront with the public about his weeks-long absence from the start.

Kean’s absence from the Capitol has been felt in the Republicans’ razor-thin majority, with Johnson only able to lose two or three votes in any party-line bill, assuming full attendance.

“Where is he? No, seriously. It’s embarrassing,” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) told TMZ earlier this month. “We’re supposed to be the party that is against campaigning from the basement.”

President Trump endorsed Kean’s reelection bid despite his absence, and Kean told the New Jersey Globe in a phone interview that his illness will not impact his cognitive ability.

“This experience has given me a deeper appreciation for the millions of Americans who face these challenges each and every day. Many do so quietly. Many do so alone. Many do so like carrying burdens that the rest of us never see,” Kean said in his speech. “To them, I would say asking for help is not a weakness, it is a strength.”

Updated at 11:48 a.m.