New Jersey Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. has returned to Congress after being treated for depression. In a statement on the House floor, Kean said, “It is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.”
Background
Kean, a second-term lawmaker, represents a battleground district that includes President Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club. He had missed more than 100 votes in Congress this year and hadn’t been seen publicly in Washington or his district despite winning the Republican nomination to serve another term.
Kean’s office had previously stated that he was dealing with a personal medical issue and his doctors expected him to recover. His last vote was on March 5, and his absence had complicated matters for House Republican leaders, who are struggling to pass bills with their razor-thin majority.
Kean comes from a long line of public servants, stretching 250 years to the country’s founding when one of his ancestors became New Jersey’s first leader since independence. His great-grandfather was a senator, his grandfather was a congressman, and his father is the former two-term governor, Tom Kean Sr.
Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.
