{"id":2594770,"date":"2026-04-24T16:40:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T20:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-johnson-provides-update-on-house-republican-whos-been-missing-for-over-a-month\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T16:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T20:43:07","slug":"mike-johnson-provides-update-on-house-republican-whos-been-missing-for-over-a-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-johnson-provides-update-on-house-republican-whos-been-missing-for-over-a-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Johnson Provides Update on House Republican Who&#8217;s Been Missing for Over a Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmike-johnson-provides-update-on-house-republican-whos-been-missing-for-over-a-month%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2594770&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece reports that Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed questions about Rep. Thomas Kean Jr.\u2019s prolonged absence,noting that Kean has missed more than 50 roll-call votes since march 5 without public explanation. johnson said he spoke with Kean and that the New Jersey Republican is dealing with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-not-considering-firing-austin-following-mysterious-hospitalization\/\" title=\"Biden won&#039;t fire Austin after unexplained hospitalization\">personal health matter<\/a> and expects to be back at full strength soon, though no return date was provided. Kean\u2019s office and allies offered limited details, and fellow New Jersey Republicans have been unable to reach him.<\/p>\n<p>The article situates Kean\u2019s absence within the GOP\u2019s precarious House position, including a slim majority, several vacancies, and upcoming battles over funding and policy. Kean\u2019s district is described as a toss-up by the cook Political Report, raising the stakes should he be unable to return or run again. The piece notes that if Kean cannot participate, the race could shift considerably, while Republicans are perceived to be favored to hold or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/no-run-of-the-mill-politician-gay-new-jersey-republican-hopes-to-flip-senate-seat-with-historic-win-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"No \u2018run-of-the-mill politician...: Gay New ... hopes to flip Senate seat with historic win - Washington Examiner\">gain senate seats<\/a> and Democrats express hope about flipping the House. A ancient comparison to 2018 is mentioned, when Republicans gained Senate seats but lost the House, resulting in a divided federal government.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson addressed reports concerning the long absence of GOP Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. of New Jersey Friday after the congressman missed votes for over a month without providing any details to the public.<\/p>\n<p>Kean, 57, was first elected in 2022. He cast his last vote on March 5, but has missed 50 roll call votes since then, ABC News <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/republican-lawmaker-missed-month-votes-dealing-health-matter\/story?id=132347878\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson provided a statement to ABC News saying he spoke with Kean over the phone Thursday, adding that the New Jersey Republican is battling a &ldquo;personal health matter.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I was happy to speak to Tom Kean, Jr. this afternoon by phone,&rdquo; the statement read. &ldquo;He is attending to a personal health matter and expects to be back to 100 percent very soon.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Tom is one of the most dedicated and hardest-working Members of Congress, and I am grateful for all he does and will continue to do to serve New Jerseyans and our country,&rdquo; Johnson concluded.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Kean&rsquo;s spokeswoman, Noelle Berriet, did not <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >answer multiple media requests<\/a> from the outlet regarding the congressman&rsquo;s status.<\/p>\n<p>Kean&rsquo;s strategist, Harrison Neely, said, &ldquo;The congressman is dealing with a personal medical issue. He&rsquo;s going to be 100 percent fine and he&rsquo;s going to be back with a full schedule soon.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>No specific date was given for his return.<\/p>\n<p>Kean&rsquo;s fellow House Republicans from New Jersey, Reps. Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith, said they both have tried to get in touch with him but have been unsuccessful thus far.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve both reached out. Don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; Smith said, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.njspotlightnews.org\/2026\/04\/radio-silence-concerns-grow-about-congressmans-health-during-lengthy-absence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to New Jersey Spotlight News.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Complete radio silence,&rdquo; Van Drew added. &ldquo;Nobody&rsquo;s covering up. We just haven&rsquo;t heard a word. We talk about it &mdash; We&rsquo;re worried about him.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Kean&rsquo;s Democratic colleagues in the House who are also from New Jersey said they don&rsquo;t know what&rsquo;s happening, either.<\/p>\n<p>Kean&rsquo;s chief of staff, Dan Scharfenberger, ed a statement to NJ Spotlight News last week, saying, &ldquo;Congressman is addressing a personal health matter. He will be returning to a full regular schedule.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He did not, however, respond to a follow-up request for comment earlier this week.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans currently hold a <a href=\"https:\/\/pressgallery.house.gov\/member-data\/party-breakdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">razor-thin majority<\/a> of 217-212 in the lower chamber and have little room for error to pass President Donald Trump&rsquo;s ambitious agenda.<\/p>\n<p>There are currently five vacancies due to resignations or deaths, and one &ldquo;independent&rdquo; member, who caucuses with the GOP.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson is gearing up for several showdowns over funding linked to the Department of Homeland Security, an extension of FISA, and a farm bill.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/johnson-not-seeking-3rd-term-in-2022-is-probably-my-preference\/\" title=\"...: Not seeking 3rd term in 2022 is probably my preference\">upcoming midterm elections<\/a> are expected to be extremely close, and Kean&rsquo;s district &mdash; which leans Republican &mdash; has now been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cookpolitical.com\/house\/race\/483531\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deemed a toss-up<\/a> by the Cook Political Report.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Kean is anticipated to be the GOP nominee, assuming he can stay healthy. If he were to drop out for any reason, it would upend the race entirely.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans are currently favored to hold or add seats in the Senate, while Democrats continue to express confidence about flipping the House.<\/p>\n<p>This result would be an almost identical outcome to the 2018 elections during Trump&rsquo;s first term in office.<\/p>\n<p>The GOP added two seats in the upper chamber but lost the House, resulting in Trump&rsquo;s impeachment and a heavily divided federal government.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Thomas Kean Jr.\u2019s extended absence. Kean, 57, has missed about 50 roll-call votes since March 5 and has not publicly explained the gaps.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Johnson said he spoke with Kean by phone and that Kean is dealing with a personal health matter, but is expected to return to full duties soon. Johnson praised Kean as one of the most dedicated and hardworking members.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Kean\u2019s spokeswoman did not respond to multiple media inquiries. Kean\u2019s strategist, Harrison Neely, said the congressman is dealing with a personal medical issue and will return to a full schedule, but gave no return date.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Kean\u2019s New Jersey GOP colleagues, Rep. Jeff Van Drew and Rep. Chris Smith, said they\u2019ve tried to contact him without success and expressed concern. Kean\u2019s Democratic colleagues from New Jersey also said they don\u2019t have information on his status.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Kean\u2019s chief of staff, Dan Scharfenberger, told NJ Spotlight News that Kean is addressing a personal health matter and will return to a full schedule, but he did not comment further when asked.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The Republicans hold a slim 217-212 majority in the House, with five vacancies and one independent who caucuses with the GOP. Johnson faces upcoming battles over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, a FISA extension, and a farm bill. Kean\u2019s district is considered a toss-up by Cook Political Report, and Kean is anticipated to be the GOP nominee if he remains healthy; a withdrawal could drastically alter the race.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The piece briefly notes historical electoral context (the 2018 outcome) and includes promotional material not essential to the news itself<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2594771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Johnson-vs-Kean.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[34504,34218,39544,4133,47184],"class_list":["post-2594770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-house-republican","tag-mike-johnson","tag-missing-person","tag-news","tag-political-update"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Johnson-vs-Kean.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2594770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2594770"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2594770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2594778,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2594770\/revisions\/2594778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2594771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2594770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2594770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2594770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}