Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. has missed every House vote since early March due to an undisclosed illness, but the New Jersey Republican found time to approve more than a dozen stock transactions during his three-month absence from Congress.
The 57-year-old congressman has been away from Washington since March 5, when he cast his last vote on the House floor. Since then, he has missed over 100 roll call votes while his office refuses to explain the nature of his health issues or when he plans to return.
Yet financial disclosure records show Kean personally certified 13 separate stock trades beginning March 10, just five days after his last appearance in the House chamber. Federal law requires members of Congress to personally sign off on financial transactions and report them within 45 days, even when the actual buying and selling is handled by investment advisors or family members.
The trades cover a range of holdings, though the disclosure forms only require lawmakers to report transactions in broad ranges rather than exact dollar amounts. Kean represents New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, which includes portions of Essex, Morris, Somerset, and Union counties in the northern part of the state.
House members earn $174,000 annually and maintain full salary and benefits even during extended absences. There is no constitutional mechanism to force a sitting member to resign due to health issues, and vacancies can only occur through death, resignation, expulsion by two-thirds vote, or electoral defeat.
Kean’s prolonged absence comes as House Republicans hold a razor-thin majority that makes every vote critical on major legislation. His empty seat has effectively reduced the GOP’s working margin on close votes, though party leaders have not publicly pressed him to step down or provide more information about his condition.
The congressman’s office has released only minimal statements acknowledging his absence without providing medical details or a timeline for return. His district remains without full representation in Congress while he continues managing his personal financial affairs from wherever he is convalescing.
Kean is the son of former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean Sr., who led the state from 1982 to 1990 and later chaired the 9/11 Commission. The younger Kean served in the New Jersey Legislature before winning his House seat in 2022, flipping a district that Democrats had held for years.
Key Points
- Kean has missed every House vote since March 5 but signed off on 13 stock trades starting five days later
- His office refuses to disclose the nature of his illness or when he will return to Congress
- The extended absence leaves his New Jersey district without full representation while he continues drawing his $174,000 salary
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/4582714/thomas-kean-jr-stock-trades-despite-monthslong-house-absence/ – May 26, 2026
