{"id":2626126,"date":"2026-07-07T14:54:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T18:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congress-cant-require-members-to-show-up-or-quit\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T14:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T18:54:15","slug":"congress-cant-require-members-to-show-up-or-quit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congress-cant-require-members-to-show-up-or-quit\/","title":{"rendered":"Congress Can&#8217;t Require Members To Show Up Or Quit"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/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%2Fcongress-cant-require-members-to-show-up-or-quit%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=2626126&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 article discusses the issue of members of Congress who stop showing up for work without resigning or facing immediate consequences. It provides past and recent examples,such as Senator Karl Mundt,who stopped participating after suffering a stroke,and current cases like Senator Mitch McConnell,who has been hospitalized with limited facts about his condition. Other cases include Representatives Kay Granger, Tom Kean, and Frederica Wilson, who were absent for <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >extended periods due<\/a> to health or personal reasons but remained in office and continued receiving pay. The piece highlights the challenges of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tennessee-gop-establishment-pushes-bill-to-hamstring-challengers-and-doxx-conservative-donors\/\" title=\"Tennessee GOP Establishment Pushes Bill To Hamstring Challengers And Doxx Conservative Donors\">holding elected officials accountable<\/a> when they are absent from their duties, emphasizing that the political system often allows them to keep their seats despite not serving their constituents. The author suggests that meaningful change woudl require Congressional action,which appears unlikely.  <\/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<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XIUG8couUC0\">PBS NewsHour\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/07\/congress-cant-require-members-to-show-up-or-quit\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Congress Can\u2019t Require Members To Show Up Or Quit&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/07\/congress-cant-require-members-to-show-up-or-quit\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Congress Can\u2019t Require Members To Show Up Or Quit&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/07\/congress-cant-require-members-to-show-up-or-quit\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/07\/congress-cant-require-members-to-show-up-or-quit\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Congress Can\u2019t Require Members To Show Up Or Quit&#038;body=Members of Congress who wander away from the job face no immediate consequences, holding the seat long after they lose their ability to work.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/07\/congress-cant-require-members-to-show-up-or-quit\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The South Dakota Republican Karl Mundt left the United States Senate when he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/senators\/FeaturedBios\/Featured_Bio_MundtKarl.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">retired in 1973<\/a>, but he really left when he had a stroke in 1969. A long effort to secure his resignation failed. He just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.argusleader.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2014\/08\/30\/mundt-decision-tipped-sd-politics\/14892353\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stopped showing up<\/a>, leaving a state with half its representation in the upper chamber. A member of Congress who wins a seat holds the seat, and gets the paycheck, until he loses an election or decides to give it up. He doesn\u2019t have to come to work to have the job.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and former Senate majority leader, had a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2026\/07\/01\/mitch-mcconnell-dc-ems-dispatch-call\/90775763007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">serious medical emergency<\/a> three weeks ago that left him in the hospital. With his office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/06\/us\/politics\/mitch-mcconell-health-hospitalization.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">declining to offer details<\/a>, what we know since then can be explained by dueling headlines and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald Trump\">social media posts<\/a> that say he\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/sen-mitch-mcconnell-hospitalized-undisclosed-condition-spokesperson\/story?id=133867926\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dialed in<\/a>\u201d and working from the hospital and also that he\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/politics\/articles\/trump-confidante-says-mitch-mcconnell-215734988.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">brain dead<\/a>.\u201d We\u2019ve entered the realm of the blindfolded dart game, with more speculation than information.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3690311519\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When that happens, what often happens next is <em>nothing<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the summer of 2024, Rep. Kay Granger, a Texas Republican, disappeared without an explanation. Reporters visiting her offices found the doors locked and the windows covered, the phones unanswered. For months, her district went unrepresented. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/dallasexpress.com\/tarrant\/exclusive-where-is-congresswoman-kay-granger\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">news story<\/a> in the Dallas Express describes how that long mystery ended: \u201cWe then received a tip from a Granger constituent who shared that the Congresswoman has been residing at a local memory care and assisted living home for some time after having been found wandering, lost, and confused in her former Cultural District\/West 7th neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lost, confused, institutionalized, and drawing a salary as an elected official in Washington, D.C., while not ever going there. Members of Congress have medical privacy rights, but their constituents have a right to be represented.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conflict between those competing rights keeps coming up. The example of Karl Mundt echoed the <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/archive\/6774747\/elder-statesman\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">example of Sen. Carter Glass<\/a>, a Virginia Democrat serving in the 1940s \u201cwho had taken his last Senatorial oath at his Lynchburg home, in carpet slippers.\u201d He was urged to resign after two years of unbroken absence, and greeted the demands with \u201cno public response whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the most recent examples, Rep. Tom Kean, a New Jersey Republican, stopped coming to work for four months, offering no explanation for his absence. Reappearing in the House, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/30\/us\/politics\/tom-kean-return-depression.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> that he\u2019d been hospitalized for depression.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Similarly, Rep. Frederica Wilson, a ludicrous Florida Democrat who is famous for her colorful hats, missed more than 40 votes in a long absence from the House before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.local10.com\/news\/politics\/2026\/05\/15\/congresswoman-frederica-wilson-misses-40-votes-on-house-floor-confirms-she-underwent-eye-surgery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announcing<\/a> that she had skipped work to recover from eye surgery. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not participating in deliberation while serving in deliberative bodies, and not providing representation while holding office in a representative government, members of Congress who wander away from the job face no immediate consequences. They hold the seat long after they lose their ability to do the work. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"tPo4igIZqkrsKE2aBb9NXjyOdVxc1efTwUCLF6MnHG0Dp35vlSzmu7hWQRY8\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ratio ratio-16x9\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Feinstein appears confused during Senate committee vote, told to &apos;just say aye&apos;\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SdMSiZbsMH8?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To change that, we would have to get Congress to act. You can see how likely that is.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Chris Bray is a senior correspondent at The Federalist and a former infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army. He has a history PhD from the University of California Los Angeles, not that it did him any good. He also posts on Substack, at &#8220;Tell Me How This Ends,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbray.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Chris Bray<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/chrisbray\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/carter-glass\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Carter Glass<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/congress\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Congress<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/diminshed-capacity\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">diminshed capacity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/frederica-wilson\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Frederica Wilson<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/karl-mundt\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Karl Mundt<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/kay-granger\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Kay Granger<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mitch-mcconnell\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Mitch McConnell<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/tom-kean\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Tom Kean<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Congress members often leave their duties without resignation or notice<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2086,"featured_media":2626127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/frozen-mitch.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[4402,5045,48342],"class_list":["post-2626126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-congress","tag-government","tag-workplace-rights"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/frozen-mitch.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626126","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\/2086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2626126"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2626130,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626126\/revisions\/2626130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2626127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2626126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2626126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2626126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}