Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) will cast his first vote in the House in four months on Tuesday, returning from a prolonged absence as he dealt with depression.Kean, 57, said doctors diagnosed him with depression after he sought medical testing, and said he did not believe it would result in a long-term stay.“Now, when people hear the word depression, many people think simply the need to feel sad, but depression is so much more than that,” Kean said. “It is physical, it is emotional, and two of you experience it yourself is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.”
Kean has been absent from Capitol Hill due to a health matter since March and has missed over 100 votes, but few details were shared with the public in that time regarding his condition.The New Jersey lawmaker did not answer questions from reporters when he arrived to Capitol Hill. Upon entering the House floor, Kean appeared to be in good spirits, chatting with other GOP lawmakers and flipping through a binder as he prepared to deliever his speech.Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told reporters before Kean’s floor speech that if he were in Kean’s shoes, he “would have been more specific” about his condition and that he has encouraged Kean to be transparent during his remarks. However, Johnson asserted that there is “no conspiracy” surrounding Kean’s absence and that it “isn’t scandalous at all.”“It’s not an uncommon kind of condition and ailment that he’s been fighting, and I think people resonate with that,” Johnson said. “I think he’ll get a lot of empathy, because it’s something that’s very, very common.”The speaker declined to share the details of Kean’s health matter earlier this month, telling reporters that Kean asked him to not disclose it.“I do know what his health issue is, but he’s asked me not to disclose that, and I’m going to honor that,” Johnson said. “I should do that. That’s my job. I’ll do the same for anyone.”
