Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) addressed his prolonged absence from Capitol Hill in a statement Monday, saying he will be back on the job “very soon.”
Kean, who has not voted in the House since March 5 due to an undisclosed medical problem, said he plans to “return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent.”
“I want to thank my constituents and colleagues for their patience as I address a personal medical issue,” his statement said. “My doctors continue to assure me that my recovery will be complete and that I will be back to the job I love very soon. I expect to return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) confirmed last week that he had spoken to Kean, saying he talked to the congressman on the phone.
“I was happy to speak to Tom Kean Jr. this afternoon by phone,” Johnson said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “He is attending to a personal health matter and expects to be back to 100% very soon.”
“Tom is one of the most dedicated and hardest-working Members of Congress, and I am grateful for all he does and will continue to do to serve New Jerseyans and our country,” Johnson continued.
Before Johnson, Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) told reporters they had been unable to reach Kean. The New Jersey Republican is running for his third term in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District.
In his statement, Kean said he takes his “responsibilities seriously and have a strong record of showing up and delivering, which makes this absence all the more difficult.”
EVERYTHING IS ON THE LINE. REPUBLICANS CAN’T TAKE MIDTERMS FOR GRANTED
“I am especially proud of my Congressional team, who have kept constituent services and legislative work moving forward without interruption, and my political team for ensuring the campaign continues to run strong,” Kean said.
The New Jersey congressman’s office has not provided many details regarding the congressman’s absence. A spokesman for Kean told the New Jersey Globe earlier this month that he was “dealing with a personal medical issue that prevents him from casting votes” but was “expected to be totally fine and back to a full schedule soon.”
