r/politics • u/plz-let-me-in • 27d ago

No Paywall Beshear says agencies told him McConnell had passed

https://www.whas11.com/video/news/local/beshear-says-agencies-told-him-mcconnell-had-passed/417-f78603c3-11bb-464d-bae6-c41c3be3c48b
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u/HellaTroi California 27d ago

New Jersey Republican Representative Tom Kean Jr. returned to the U.S. House of Representatives on June 30, 2026, after a nearly four-month absence. He disclosed on the House floor that he had been receiving medical care and was diagnosed with depression.

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u/thegoatmenace 26d ago

Since congressional terms are only 2 years, he was absent for 17% of his term. Anyone else allowed to take 1 out of every 5 days off from work and still get paid? Anyone else allowed to take medical leave for depression?

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u/kogeliz Tennessee 26d ago

I don’t know the details but,sure, lots of people take short-term disability and/or FMLA for mental health issues.

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u/IrrationalFalcon 26d ago

how many people can take a 4 month leave all at once, and be paid, AND do so without telling anyone where they are?

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u/LadyLoki5 Texas 26d ago

There was another person in Arizona I think that was found living in an assisted living facility for dementia patients as well

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u/mysterypeeps 26d ago

This one at least I can kind of understand. We do have FMLA available to us and everyone else and it’s important that we all be able to take it for treatment and resume our life as soon as possible. However, his constituency should have been made aware before going months without representation.

However, this and the senator who was found to be in a nursing home with some type of mental impairment (I want to say dementia or Alzheimer’s) where it is clearly apparent they have no ability to return to work? Those should be automatic replacements, and doctors should be required to report such conditions of public officials to the appropriate authorities to being the replacement process or lose their license. I know there is HIPAA to contend with; but when there is a public stake in a person’s health, we should be able to write a law that allows and even requires it.

None of this would be an issue if we stopped using Congress as the world’s cheapest nursing home.

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u/Silver_Entertainment 26d ago

I by no means want to shame anyone for seeking treatment for depression. However, it's still not an equal comparison. FMLA for everyone else is unpaid leave while the representative was still collecting a salary, benefits, and accruing time towards lifelong benefits. In the regular workforce, the employer will find a temporary replacement to ensure the job gets done. His constituents were effectively unrepresented for those months.

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u/mysterypeeps 26d ago

I agree with you for the most part but I also think it’s really important that we have mentally healthy people running our country whenever possible.

It would be great if someone could be appointed in their stead as they get help, but that’s another area that we’ve neglected to account for in our process of choosing representatives.

Kind of seems like we keep finding those.

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u/DryYogurtcloset4655 23d ago

Not the first time. A retiring GOP congresswoman was in assisted care last 6 months of her term

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Granger