Where’s Tom? Congressman Missing For 80+ Days, Still Collecting Paycheck

For almost three months, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) has not been seen in public, cast a vote in Congress, or provided any meaningful explanation for his absence.

Kean, a second-term Republican running for re-election, has missed more than 100 House votes while his office says only that he is dealing with a "personal medical issue."

Earlier this week, the 57-year-old briefly resurfaced for short phone calls with New Jersey Republican Party leaders, asking for their prayers and saying he hoped to return to the campaign trail soon. He is running in one of the most competitive districts in the country. Earlier this month, Kean’s chief of staff said, “There’s no cameras where Tom is,” without elaborating further.

There is no law requiring members of Congress to explain prolonged absences, and no one can temporarily fill the seat. That means more than 700,000 people in his district have gone unrepresented while he is away, and he collects his full $174,000 taxpayer-funded salary.

This isn’t the first time a lawmaker’s absence has raised questions. In 2024, then-Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) quietly vanished from public view for months before it was revealed she had been living in a memory care facility. Her constituents were never told about her condition while she continued serving in Congress.

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