Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-New Jersey), who has missed votes since early March without providing a public explanation, said in a statement Monday that he has been dealing with “a personal medical issue” but did not specify when he expects to return.
In a statement posted to his social media accounts, Kean, who is seeking reelection in New Jersey’s 7th District, said he expects to “return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent.”
He said his return would be “in the near future” but did not offer specifics.
“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,” Kean wrote.
Kean did not address questions about the nature or severity of his health problems.
Last week, as his office continued to provide little information, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) issued a statement saying he had spoken with Kean by phone and that Kean expected to be “back to 100% very soon.”
Kean, a second-term congressman, is in the midst of a reelection campaign in one of Congress’s most vulnerable Republican districts. He does not face any GOP challengers in his primary.
This week, the House could see tight vote margins on measures related to funding the Department of Homeland Security and reauthorizing a controversial section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Republicans currently hold 217 seats in the House, while Democrats hold 212 and there is one independent member in the chamber.
The House has recently lost several members. Rep. David Scott (D-Georgia) died on April 22. Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-California), Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Florida) resigned under threat of expulsion.
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