WASHINGTON — The congressman who missed work for more than three months to treat clinical depression has opposed paid leave policies that would allow more workers the same kind of time off.

Republicans like Rep. Tom Kean (R-N.J.) generally dislike policies that benefit workers at the expense of their employers or the government.

During his time in the New Jersey legislature, Kean voted against bills requiring paid leave and backed legislation that would have barred New Jersey towns from enacting their own paid leave requirements.

“Our solutions won’t cost taxpayers any extra money,” Kean said of a package of pro-business proposals that included the paid leave ban in 2015.

Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) said he wished Kean well on his continued recovery from depression, but criticized the Republican for not supporting paid sick leave.

“I believe every person should have access to mental health support, including paid time off and sick leave,” Kim wrote 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 did not respond to requests for comment.

The second-term congressman vanished from Washington in March, saying only he was dealing with a personal medical issue. He returned to the Capitol this week and announced he’d been hospitalized for depression.

Kean said he struggled with his doctors’ advice to remain hospitalized despite his various obligations, including to his job.

“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. is alone among developed countries in not guaranteeing workers paid time off for illness, childbirth, vacation or holidays. Federal law does require large employers to allow workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off for sickness or other exigencies.

“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,” Dawn Huckelbridge, director of the advocacy group Paid Leave for All Action, told HuffPost.

Kean had not yet been elected to Congress when the House voted in 2021 on a Democratic bill that included paid leave policies. The bill didn’t become law, and Republicans haven’t taken up paid leave since taking over the House in 2023. Kean voted for Republicans’ tax bill last year and its accompanying Medicaid cuts, which could reduce access to mental health services for low-income Americans.

Democrats faulted Kean for voting against sick leave during his first (unsuccessful) congressional bid in 2020.

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