Rep. Tom Kean is back in the House after a mysterious 117-day absence during which the New Jersey Republican missed at least 100 votes. He, finally, has provided an explanation as to why he disappeared from his elected office for nearly four months, in what
other lawmakers have described as “radio silence.”
“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 [and] I was given the diagnosis of depression,” Kean said in a floor speech on Tuesday.
“Now, when people hear the word depression, many people think it simply means feeling sad. But depression is so much more than that,” he added. “The doctors recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness. 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 — I had responsibilities to my constituents. I had responsibilities to this institution. And like many people, I believed that I could simply push through.”
Kean added that he originally thought he would only be absent from Congress for a few weeks, but that “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.”
The congressman then reiterated his support for access to mental health care. As of now, the Republican Party at large has expressed increased opposition to proven mental health treatments including SSRIs — common forms of antidepressants and mood stabilizers. In May, it was reported that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had explored outright banning certain antidepressants from the market.
Trump and the GOP’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill kicked millions of Americans off of their health insurance, depriving many of potentially life-saving mental health care and treatments. Kean was one of the Republicans who voted in favor of the legislation in July of last year. Most Americans cannot take time off work to focus on their mental health, and the party Kean represents is intent on making it harder for them to do so.
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