Congressman Explains His Absence: Depression

New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. returned to Capitol Hill on Tuesday and revealed the reason for his months-long absence: He was hospitalized with depression. "Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing," he said in a floor speech, reports the Hill. "I was given the diagnosis of depression." Kean said he initially thought he'd be back at work in a matter of weeks, but he ended up missing four months and more than 100 votes.

"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," said Kean, who will face Democrat Rebecca Bennett in the November election. The 57-year-old's absence became a controversial subject not only for its length but because his staff would not reveal anything beyond a "personal medical issue." On Tuesday, just before Kean addressed the House, Speaker Mike Johnson suggested he should have come forward sooner, notes Politico. "If it were me, I would have been more specific about that, and I encouraged him to be."