Mysteriously absent from Congress for much of the year, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-New Jersey) will be back at work at the end of the month, a spokesman said Thursday.
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“Congressman Kean is eager to return to in person work on June 30 and resume a full schedule,” spokesperson Harrison Neely said in a statement.
Kean, in his second term representing an affluent swing district in northern New Jersey, has missed House votes since March 5 without providing a public explanation, other than that he is dealing with an unspecified “personal medical issue.”
His disappearance has caused headaches for the narrow Republican majority in the House, including on close votes related to restraining President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran and reauthorizing a controversial section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
It has also raised questions about where precisely Kean is — he has not been seen publicly in nearly four months — and whether he is still fit to serve.
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Anxiety is growing among GOP operatives that it could cost Kean his seat as Republicans fight to hold onto control of the House. Even before his latest medical issue, Democrats portrayed him as an absentee member who did not show up for his district.
Kean, a son of former New Jersey governor Thomas H. Kean, ran unopposed in his June 2 primary and will face Democrat Rebecca Bennett in November.
Should he make it back to Washington on June 30 as planned, he will not need to stick around for long. The House is planning to recess for more than a week starting July 3.
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