Hypocrisy Unmasked: Tom Kean Opposes Paid Leave While Taking 3-Month Medical Hiatus

WASHINGTON — The congressman who vanished from work for over three months to treat clinical depression has been a vocal opponent of paid leave policies that would grant workers similar time off.

Rep. Tom Kean (R-N.J.) embodies the Republican disdain for policies that favor workers at the expense of employers or government interests.

While serving in the New Jersey legislature, Kean voted against multiple bills mandating paid leave and supported legislation aimed at preventing towns from establishing their own paid leave requirements.

In 2015, he claimed, “Our solutions won’t cost taxpayers any extra money,” while promoting a package of pro-business proposals that included a ban on paid leave.

Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) expressed well wishes for Kean’s recovery but criticized him for his opposition to paid sick leave.

“I believe every person should have access to mental health support, including paid time off and sick leave,” Kim stated on Facebook. “Congressman Kean has opposed these very benefits for all workers that Members of Congress get. It’s time for that to change.”

Kean’s office has remained silent on requests for comment regarding his stance.

The second-term congressman disappeared from Washington in March, citing a personal medical issue, only to return this week and reveal he had been hospitalized for depression.

He admitted to struggling with his doctors’ recommendations to stay hospitalized, citing obligations to his job and family.

“I didn’t think that I had time for it,” he said. “I had responsibilities to my family. I had responsibilities to my constituents. I had responsibilities to this institution.”

The U.S. stands alone among developed nations in failing to guarantee workers paid time off for illness, childbirth, vacation, or holidays. Federal law mandates that large employers provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for sickness or other emergencies.

Dawn Huckelbridge, director of the advocacy group Paid Leave for All Action, remarked, “I wish Congressman Kean healing and a full recovery. But a four-month leave with fully paid salary is something few Americans have access to — he’s enjoyed rights that he directly voted against for his own constituents.”

Kean was not yet elected to Congress when the House voted in 2021 on a Democratic bill that included paid leave provisions. That bill failed to become law, and since Republicans regained control of the House in 2023, they have not addressed paid leave. Kean supported the Republicans’ tax bill last year, which included Medicaid cuts likely to diminish access to mental health services for low-income Americans.

Democrats have criticized Kean for opposing sick leave during his first congressional campaign in 2020, which ended unsuccessfully.