Ritchie Torres says he sympathizes with New Jersep Rep. Kean's depression but urges greater transparency
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Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres (N.Y.) on Tuesday said he sympathizes with Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s (R-N.J.) depression but urged him to be more transparent regarding any long-term absences moving forward.
“As someone who has lived with depression, I have deep sympathy for anyone struggling with mental illness. I might not be alive today were it not for a prolonged hospitalization and proper medication. I know the value of taking a medical leave firsthand,” Torres wrote in a post on X.
“At the same time, public office carries a duty of transparency. When a public official is absent for an extended period, the public has a right to an honest explanation,” he added.
His remarks come after Kean’s House floor speech, where he addressed the reasoning for his unexpected absence, which caused him to miss 135 votes.
“When I first informed the public that I was dealing with a medical issue, I was still trying to understand what was happening myself, when I said I hoped to return in a matter of weeks, I believed it,” Kean said on the House floor on Tuesday, explaining that he was hospitalized for treatment.
“But 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,” he added.
The New Jersey lawmaker didn’t make public appearances in his district or in Washington, D.C. during the duration of his absence, raising concern for his whereabouts.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he was informed of Kean’s condition earlier this month and on Tuesday said he would have also encouraged the lawmaker to be transparent about his medical condition moving forward.
“If it were me I would have been more specific about that. … It’s not an uncommon kind of condition and ailment that he’s been fighting, and I think people resonate with that. I think he’ll get a lot of empathy, because it’s something that’s very, very common,” Johnson said during a Wednesday press conference.
Kean’s return coincides with his campaign for another term.
In a post on X, Torres urged the New Jersey lawmaker to be open about future medical needs as they arise, noting that the public can be forgiving.
“Transparency deepens the public’s empathy, whereas secrecy breeds suspicion. When in doubt, err on the side of transparency,” Torres wrote.
“Tell the truth, and tell it early. The public is often most forgiving of those who level with them,” he added.
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Read the full story at The Hill ↗
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. took an extended absence from Congress, missing 135 votes while undergoing hospitalization for depression treatment. Upon his return to the House floor, he explained that he initially did not know the timeline for recovery. Rep. Ritchie Torres, who has personally experienced depression, acknowledged Kean's situation sympathetically but advocated for fuller disclosure of medical absences to the public. Torres and Speaker Mike Johnson both suggested that transparent communication about such conditions would likely have generated public understanding rather than concern about Kean's whereabouts. Torres emphasized that early, honest disclosure typically builds greater public empathy than delayed or partial information.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗
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Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres (N.Y.) on Tuesday said he sympathizes with Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s (R-N.J.) depression but urged him to be more transparent regarding any long-term absences moving forward.
“As someone who has lived with depression, I have deep sympathy for anyone struggling with mental illness. I might not be alive today were it not for a prolonged hospitalization and proper medication. I know the value of taking a medical leave firsthand,” Torres wrote in a post on X.
“At the same time, public office carries a duty of transparency. When a public official is absent for an extended period, the public has a right to an honest explanation,” he added.
His remarks come after Kean’s House floor speech, where he addressed the reasoning for his unexpected absence, which caused him to miss 135 votes.
“When I first informed the public that I was dealing with a medical issue, I was still trying to understand what was happening myself, when I said I hoped to return in a matter of weeks, I believed it,” Kean said on the House floor on Tuesday, explaining that he was hospitalized for treatment.
“But 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,” he added.
The New Jersey lawmaker didn’t make public appearances in his district or in Washington, D.C. during the duration of his absence, raising concern for his whereabouts.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he was informed of Kean’s condition earlier this month and on Tuesday said he would have also encouraged the lawmaker to be transparent about his medical condition moving forward.
“If it were me I would have been more specific about that. … It’s not an uncommon kind of condition and ailment that he’s been fighting, and I think people resonate with that. I think he’ll get a lot of empathy, because it’s something that’s very, very common,” Johnson said during a Wednesday press conference.
Kean’s return coincides with his campaign for another term.
In a post on X, Torres urged the New Jersey lawmaker to be open about future medical needs as they arise, noting that the public can be forgiving.
“Transparency deepens the public’s empathy, whereas secrecy breeds suspicion. When in doubt, err on the side of transparency,” Torres wrote.
“Tell the truth, and tell it early. The public is often most forgiving of those who level with them,” he added.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. was hospitalized for depression treatment and missed 135 House votes during his absence. Rep. Ritchie Torres has lived with depression and credits a prolonged hospitalization and medication with his survival. Kean stated on the House floor that there is no timeline for healing from depression, only the work of recovery one day at a time. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was informed of Kean's condition and would have encouraged more transparency. Over 48 million Americans are being treated for depression, according to Kean's House floor remarks. Torres's emphasis that transparency deepens empathy while secrecy breeds suspicion is an interpretive principle rather than a documented outcome in this case. The characterization that the public is 'often most forgiving' of those who level with them reflects an assumption about public behavior.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗
- Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) was absent from the House for an extended period, missing 135 votes, due to hospitalization for depression treatment.
- Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres, who has lived with depression, expressed sympathy for Kean's condition while calling for greater public transparency about medical absences.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would have encouraged more specificity in disclosing the medical condition, noting depression is common and generates empathy.
- Torres argued that early transparency about medical needs builds public empathy, whereas secrecy breeds suspicion.