Tom Kean Jr. Returns To Congress After Depression Diagnosis Causes Nearly Four-Month Absence

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. returned to the House floor Tuesday after nearly four months away and said his extended hospitalization followed a depression diagnosis.

Kean told reporters, "Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing," and he added, "I was given the diagnosis of depression."

ABC News

Kean said he had missed more than 100 votes since he was last seen in public in March, and he described his absence as a period when he had not shared details beyond a personal medical issue.

In a separate account of his return, ABC7 New York said Kean had been absent for 116 days and that he revealed the depression diagnosis after medical testing and hospitalization.

Politico reported that Kean made his first appearance on the House floor in nearly four months and that his floor remarks were his first public disclosure about the absence that went publicly unexplained for more than 100 days.

Speaker Mike Johnson said he had urged Kean to share more about his condition earlier, telling reporters, "If it were me, I would have been more specific about that, and I encouraged him to be."

Kean framed his disclosure as a personal decision, saying, "I am a private person by nature," and he added that "Asking for help is not a weakness, it is a strength."

ABC7 New York

NPR reported that Kean said he checked into a hospital for testing several months ago after health concerns and was subsequently diagnosed with depression, and Kean said he miscalculated how long he would be away.

ABC News reported that Kean did not answer multiple questions from reporters about why he didn't communicate with his constituents earlier about his health issues, even as he said he believed he would have been back in a few weeks.

Politico also reported that Kean’s staff had blamed a personal medical condition without providing other details, sparking widespread concern and speculation as they assured reporters that all would be revealed when he returned.

Kean’s return comes as he seeks a third term in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, where he is set to face Democrat Rebecca Bennett in the November midterms.

NPR said Bennett told supporters, "Tom Kean Junior, wherever you are, you have failed this district," and it also reported that Bennett targeted Kean's absence in her campaign.

ABC7 New York said residents of the 7th Congressional District had been left in the dark about Kean’s whereabouts, and it reported that Kean was scheduled to hold a conference call with Republican officials later Tuesday.

Politico reported that Kean won the June 2 primary for his seat unopposed and that he had a fundraiser scheduled for later Tuesday, while also noting that his prolonged absence complicated Speaker Johnson’s efforts to pass key legislation.

CNBC reported that Kean missed more than 140 votes while he was away from Washington and said he was running against Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot and health care executive, in the 2026 midterm elections.