2 House Members Have Been Absent For Weeks, Missing Dozens Of Votes

BreakingBusiness2 House Members Have Been Absent For Weeks, Missing Dozens Of VotesBySara Dorn,Forbes Staff. Sara Dorn is a Forbes news reporter who covers politics.Follow AuthorMay 14, 2026, 01:28pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.ToplineTwo House members have been absent for weeks, missing dozens of votes as both face tough re-election contests, including one that could jeopardize Republicans’ slim majority in the House. U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson speaks on behalf of keeping Temporary Protected Status in place for Haitians at an American Business Immigration Coalition press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (Carl Juste/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)TNSKey FactsRep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., has not voted in the House since April 17, missing 43 consecutive votes as of Wednesday, according to reporter Jamie Dupree. She has remained active on social media and shared images on Tuesday of a service academy event she attended—and already posted—in October. Wilson has not publicly explained her absence, and neither her office nor House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ office responded to Forbes’ questions about where she has been. Rep. Thomas Kean Jr., R-N.J., who had a near-perfect voting record until he cast his last vote on March 5, has missed 68 votes since.Kean’s chief of staff, Dan Scharfenberger, referred Forbes to a previous statement he provided to the New Jersey Globe: Kean is “attending to a personal health matter” and will be returning to a regular full schedule soon,” Scharfenberger said, adding, “the Congressman’s team continues to serve the people of New Jersey uninterrupted."Both are running for re-election this year and could lose their seats—Kean, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, is uncontested in the June primary, but his district is widely considered a toss-up, and while Wilson’s leans solidly blue, she faces small bu...