Analysis of Rep. Tom Kean Jr.'s misleading messages
April 19: Kean's misleading claims about tax relief
In the days surrounding the April 15 tax-filing deadline, Congressman Tom Kean Junior filled his social media accounts and NJ7 newsletter with jubilant boasts about “Working Family Tax Cuts” – the new GOP branding for the federal budget bill formerly known as the “Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
He claimed that thanks to that legislation, “the average taxpayer in our state saved $3,803 this tax season. That’s real savings that can go toward groceries, gas, or investing in your children’s future.”
That is simply not true. Although he didn’t explain where he got that $3,803 figure, it closely matches what the White House says will be the national average income tax refund. What matters to taxpayers is any change in the size of their refunds.
The Trump administration projected that the average refund would increase by approximately $1,000. Independent analysis of IRS early refund data indicates the average refund increased by only $225. That paltry figure includes the effects of the SALT deduction for State and Local Taxes – which Kean loves to take credit for.
For households earning less than $100,000, these refunds do little to affect their after-tax disposable income. Especially once other effects of the “big beautiful bill,” and other actions taken by Kean and his Republicans colleagues in Congress, are factored in.
Those other effects include the elimination of subsidies that helped keep Affordable Care Act health insurance premiums affordable. Average premiums on the ACA marketplaces -- GetCoveredNJ in our state -- more than doubled when those subsidies expired this year. Independent auditors estimated that, for example, a family of four making $130,000 would see their monthly premium jump from $921 to $1,992 — an annual increase of about $12,900.
Then there are all the hidden “taxes” – costs to consumers – from President Trump’s nonsensical tariffs and his reckless war against Iran. From March last year to March this year, overall consumer prices increased 3.3%, with food up 2.7% and energy costs up 12.5%.
With his actions and inactions in the House, Tom Kean Junior allowed the ACA subsidies to expire; allowed Trump to usurp Congress’ power over tariffs; and allowed Trump to ignore Congress’ war powers. Trump’s senseless war in the Middle East has killed thousands, cost the USA billions in cash and weaponry, and accomplished nothing but a worldwide shortage of oil and other vital goods.
So yes, Tom Kean’s support for that big budget bill last fall brought some tax relief – although any savings is likely to be wiped out by increased costs. And the “working family tax cuts” are dwarfed by the bill's giveaways to corporations, high earners and the wealthy. All that comes at a huge cost in cuts to federal services (Medicaid, SNAP, student loans etc.).
The Republican bill also promises to burden generations to come with a rapidly increasing national debt. That beautiful bill is estimated to increase our national debt by $3 trillion to $4.1 trillion over the next decade. The payments that will be due to service that debt are “dead money,” unavailable to provide services for any Americans.
April 14: Kean shows how out of touch he is on world events
Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s latest newsletter, dated April 13, is his first in six weeks to mention that, oh yeah, there’s a war going on. He wants to tell us about his "recent foreign affairs work."
Kean’s comments are, as usual, divorced from reality. “I support decisive action to protect the United States and our allies from the growing threat posed by the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.”
Of course, he doesn’t mention that President Trump, along with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, poured billions of dollars worth of bombs into killing thousands of people with, so far, no beneficial result whatsoever. Iran now has even-more-hardline leadership, and the bombings of Iranian schools and other civilian sites will, if anything, increase the threat of terrorism in retaliation.
“I believe in peace through strength," Kean continues, "and I support efforts that deter aggression and prevent further escalation. A strong, credible national security posture protects our service members, safeguards global stability, and encourages responsible diplomacy that reduces the risk of wider conflict.”
Has anyone told Tom that the US-Israeli attacks immediately caused conflict to spread throughout the Middle East? And that Netanyahu is taking the opportunity to give Lebanon the Gaza treatment? As for global stability, the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is causing worldwide shortages of oil, fertilizer and other essential goods. Has Tom noticed gas prices? Oh, and does he think Trump sending his vice president, his son-in-law and a real estate crony -- none of whom have any diplomatic experience -- to negotiate with Iran amounts to "responsible diplomacy"?
Kean, of course, doesn’t mention that he voted against a War Powers resolution to exert some Congressional control over Trump's warmaking. But he does want us to know he’s a cosponsor of the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act (H.R. 1422). Of course, the time for effective economic sanctions ended when U.S. missiles and bombs stated hitting their Iranian targets. For someone on the House Foreign Relation Committee, the disconnect between Kean’s proposals and Trump’s catastrophic actions is startling.
Kean also says he’s “co-leading the bipartisan Countering Wrongful Detention Act,” which would impose economic sanctions on countries or nonstate actors designated as sponsors of the unlawful detention of U.S citizens. First proposed in June 2025, this bill largely duplicates legislation authorizing economic sanctions upon countries designated as sponsors of terrorism. Iran is already on that terrorism list.
The congressman also calls for coordination with our allies “to promote peace and regional security” – never mind that Trump ignored all of our allies except Israel when taking us to war with Iran.
Kean's newsletter goes on to repeat previous claims that he's taking action against Russia over its war against Ukraine. But the bill he points to duplicates existing legislation. And he ignores Trump's suspension of sanctions on Russian oil. (See previous articles here and here.)
Does Tom Kean Junior really think his "recent foreign affairs work" will impress NJ7 voters?
April 8: Kean boasts about doing one part of his job
Congressman Tom Kean Junior keeps touting the $5 million dollars of federal grants awarded to several police departments in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District this year. So we’ll keep pointing out that those grants represent less than a penny return on each dollar that 7th District residents pay in federal taxes. (See "Kean brags about pennies on our dollars.)
It’s also worth noting that forwarding grant requests from local organizations to federal agencies, and putting local projects into spending bills, are routine parts of the job of every member of Congress. Kean isn’t using any special magic to “secure” these funds.
But in his April 6 newsletter, Kean bragged that he “delivered” the grants “to support public safety across our district. At a time when others are pushing to cut funding for law enforcement, I fought to ensure our officers have the resources they need to serve effectively.”
Who are these phantom “others” looking to cut law enforcement funding? That’s probably a dig at congressional Democrats opposing additional funding for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) without reforms to protect civil rights. Remember that ICE was given a colossal $75 billion slush fund last year under the “big beautiful bill” Kean voted for. That pile of cash is larger than the defense budgets of all but 15 countries worldwide.
April 6: Kean fundraising letter shows his 100% fealty to Trump
In a fundraising letter from Kean for Congress, received by some NJ7 voters on or around April 6, 2026, Vice President JD Vance proclaims Tom Kean Jr. "one of President Trump's strongest allies in Congress." The letter reiterates that Kean has Trump's "Total and Complete endorsement for re-election" in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District.
Trump made that endorsement back on May 8, 2025 - a year and a half before this year's election - helping Kean coast to the Republican nomination with no primary challenge.
Now, instead of trying to demonstrate any independence from Trump - amid Trump's catastrophic war on Iran and the daily chaos in Washington - Kean uses this letter from Vance to make clear that he's totally committed to "preserving and expanding President Trump's agenda."
Just in case anyone still thought Kean Junior was a moderate Republican in the mold of his father, former Gov. Thomas Kean, the letter removes any doubt that he's 100% MAGA, 100% Trumpist, 100% aligned with the madman in the White House.
Adding to what should be an embarassment for Kean, the letter makes ridiculous claims. "Tom's leadership has delivered real, tangible results for New Jersey and the nation," Vance writes. Leadership? Kean follows his Republican bosses at every step, voting for whatever Trump and Speaker Johnson want.
"Gas prices are down," the letter laughingly claims. "(H)istoric peace deals are being secured on the world stage and restoring our standing and influence around the globe." Keep in mind this letter was mailed out while Trump was waging an illegal war against Iran and threatening to annihilate its entire civilization - before backing down, at least temporarily. In the process, Trump has ruined U.S. "standing and influence" in the world, casting America as an untrustworthy, rogue nation.
"The fight for America's future is happening right here and right now," Vance writes.
Well, he got that part right!
March 29: Kean’s Fails to Address Rising Energy Costs.
In his 3/27/26 newsletter, Congressman Tom Kean Junior (R-NJ7) focuses on tax deductions and tax credits.
He does not mention the “tax” on consumers imposed by increased energy costs.
When Kean was campaigning for re-election 16 months ago, he urged us to vote for him to “Get Energy Prices Down.” He claimed that he would lower these prices by employing an “all of the above approach” which included “expanding clean energy” and “strengthening our grid.” Yet he had already voted in 2023 to roll back former President Biden's climate change initiative, which included a $27 billion fund to boost development of clean energy.
Once re-elected, Kean implemented a “neither of the above” approach to energy prices.
Tom Kean remained silent when President Trump canceled $7.6 billion in federal grants for 223 clean energy projects in 16 different states, including New Jersey. Some of these projects sought to upgrade the electric grid and carbon-recapture efforts. Although Congress had previously approved funding for these grants, our member of Congress held his tongue. Rather than protecting our electrical grid, Kean has made it more vulnerable to its greatest threat – a natural disaster such as Superstorm Sandy.
After a court blocked Trump’s effort to withdraw previously issued leases for construction of offshore wind turbines, the federal government paid nearly $1 billion to a leaseholder not to build those wind turbines. Even though offshore wind turbines were part of New Jersey ‘s long term strategic plan for energy independence, Kean did not utter a word in protest.
When Kean was seeking our vote, the national average price of gasoline was $3.04 a gallon. Gasoline now costs nearly $4 a gallon, almost a full dollar more. That’s the result of Trump’s unilateral decision to go to war with Iran – which, to no one’s surprise except apparently Trump’s, has destabilized global oil markets.
Trump attacked Iran without obtaining a declaration of war from Congress. And Kean squandered his opportunity to cut it short by voting against the War Powers Resolution.
So not only has Congressman Kean failed utterly to "get energy prices down," he has gone along with Trump's actions to thwart development of new energy sources – and supports Trump's reckless war that's raising oil prices while threatening global security.
March 28: Kean's weak effort to look tough on Russia
Rep Tom Kean Junior (R-NJ7) announced on March 27 that he introduced a bill to impose sanctions on Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation. He said it's designed to “turn[] off the spigot on Russia's nuclear energy revenue” which is “a key source of revenue fueling Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.”
Kean proclaims his position that the United States "must not continue financing Moscow’s aggression" against Ukraine.
At first blush, it appears to be a meaningful move to cut a source of funding for Russia's war machine. But on closer examination, that's simply not the case.
First, Kean doesn't bother to mention that his bill largely duplicates a statute Congress approved and then-President Biden signed in May of 2024 which banned importing enriched uranium from Russia.
Since we currently import approximately 25% of our enriched uranium needs from Russia, Congress chose to confer the DOE with discretion to gradually impose this ban until it becomes total in 2028. (Specifically, the 2024 law bans unirradiated low-enriched uranium that is produced in Russia or by a Russian entity from being imported into the United States - but allowes the Department of Energy to waive the ban if it determines that [1] no alternative viable source of low-enriched uranium is available to sustain the continued operation of a nuclear reactor or a U.S. nuclear energy company, or [2] importation of the uranium is in the national interest. Any waiver issued must terminate by January 1, 2028.)
Thus, the DOE presently has authority to do what Kean’s bill is designed to do.
Second, Kean continues to ignore the fact that President Trump “opened the spigot” on a far more lucrative source of Russia’s revenue by lifting the embargo on its oil. While we import approximately $1billion a year in enriched uranium from Russia, that figure pales in comparison to the $10 billion in oil revenues that Russia expects to earn in the first 30 days after the embargo was lifted.
Kean maintains that since joining Congress in 2023, he “has been a steadfast advocate for the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.” Yet he has never lifted a finger or raised his voice to oppose Trump's actions that favor Russia in its ruthless campaign against Ukraine.
March 21: Lawsuit raises issues Kean ignored about Roxbury ICE prison
New Jersey and Roxbury officials filed suit in federal court on March 20 to block plans by ICE to convert a warehouse in the township into a 1,500-bed immigrant detention facility.
The lawsuit raises issues that the area's congressman, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ7), failed to pursue when the town's leaders sought his help to stop the plan.
Why didn't the Trump Administration conduct the bare minimum environmental assessments required under the National Environmental Policy Act? Since Congressman Kean began his public service career at the Environmental Protection Agency, he should know that these environmental assessments are required - and necessary to prevent damage.
When the sale of the warehouse was publicly confirmed, Roxbury officials and local residents raised many concerns, including the detention facility’s environmental impact.
As reported by New Jersey Monitor, in announcing the lawsuit, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the ICE facility "would create waste 15 times the site’s approved waste-water capacity, which she said could create permanent damage and sewage overflow into nearby waterways, including Lake Hopatcong. She also noted that the area is part of the Highlands region, which provides drinking water for 70% of the state’s residents.”
The lawsuit also alleges that the Trump Administration failed to consult with local officials before the sale and failed to account for their viewpoints - in violation of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act.
This whole situation - ICE's purchase of the warehouse, the potential harm to Roxbury and its surroundings, and the federal lawsuit - could have been avoided if Congressman Kean simply did his job and pressed the Administration for answers that the law requires and that his constituents demand.
March 15: Kean Is Silent on Suspension of Russian Oil Embargo
In his latest newsletter to his NJ7 constituents, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. notes that he’s a cosponsor of House Resolution 564, which condemns the Russian Federation for abducting more than 19,000 Ukrainian children since its unlawful invasion of Ukraine. The resolution calls for Russia to safely return these children before any peace agreement is finalized.
Congressman Kean is to be commended for supporting the measure (he’s one of 32 cosponsors). Yet he has nothing to say about the most recent action by President Trump that works to Russia’s benefit in its war against Ukraine.
After Trump’s war on Iran caused oil prices to soar, the president lifted U.S. sanctions on Russian oil currently in tankers, allowing it to be shipped and sold around the world. This “temporary” lifting of sanctions will provide Ukraine’s enemy with an estimated $10 billion in extra revenue.
How will that help Ukraine defend itself against continued Russian aggression? Of course, it will not. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said Trump’s decision “did nothing for peace.”
Kean’s silence on this is deafening – particularly as he is a cosponsor of H.R. 7904, the No Aid For Russia Energy Act. This bill is designed “to prohibit United States persons from providing petroleum equipment or services in the energy sector of the Russian Federation.” It expressly directs the President to enforce compliance through the imposition of economic sanctions. The bill was introduced in January and has been sitting in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, of which Kean is a member, and the Judiciary Committees since then.
If Kean is indeed a supporter of Ukraine’s freedom from Russian aggression, he has a duty to ask the president why he just gave Russia a big boost in oil revenue. This comes as U.S. aid to Ukraine has virtually dried up since Trump took office, replaced by aid from European nations.
Kean and his colleagues in Congress have it in their power to reimpose the sanctions on Russian oil, and to limit the president’s authority over economic sanctions, by amending the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. (Yes, that’s the same law that Trump was using to impose tariffs until the Supreme Court ruled he was exceeding his authority.)
How many more Ukrainian soldiers must die, how many Ukrainian civilians must be displaced, and how many Ukrainian children must be abducted before Congressman Kean starts asking our president some tough questions?
We look forward to Kean’s next newsletter to learn if he has dared to ask, and what answers he’s received.
March 8, 2026: Kean says demands for ICE reforms are “political games”
In his latest newsletter to constituents in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. proudly proclaims that he voted in favor of his party’s bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. He claims that "Washington Democrats have allowed political games to shut down this critical agency, jeopardizing the safety of our communities."
Kean did not, of course, explain what he meant by “political games.” In reality, Democrats in Congress simply are insisting on common-sense measures to promote accountability and professionalism within ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), which is part of DHS. Those measures include requirements that ICE officers:
-
Not wear masks,
-
Wear body cameras, and
-
Display visible identification of their name and agency.
Democrats also have conditioned funding upon ICE officers complying with the same standards that other police agencies already follow in New Jersey and throughout our country, regarding the use of force and the need to obtain judicial warrants before forcibly entering a home.
As Kean is a former member of the New Jersey Senate Judiciary committee, one would expect him to recognize these measures are “best practices” within the law enforcement community. They promote accountability and compliance with Constitutional limitations upon the use of force and the seizure of persons and property, particularly within the home.
Kean, however, is insisting on handing DHS a blank check. And to justify his vote to fully fund DHS, the Republican congressman attempts to shift our focus away from ICE to other DHS agencies. He writes that the "men and women of DHS, including our Coast Guard members, TSA agents, and FEMA employees, deserve to be paid for the critical work they do protecting this nation.” [Emphasis Kean's]
The fatal flaw in this argument is that those opposing unconditional ICE funding have proposed to sever it from appropriations for the other DHA agencies that Kean mentions. Kean and his Republican colleagues rejected proposals to separately fund the Coast Guard, TSA, and FEMA. They have insisted on “all or nothing” votes, tying together funding for ICE and those other agencies. And Kean ignores the fact that he supported or acquiesced to the Trump Administration’s previous funding cuts to TSA and FEMA.
Of course, this is the same congressman who has no objection to ICE turning a Roxbury warehouse into a detention center for some 1,500 immigrants. As usual, Kean simply goes along with whatever his Trump Party says and does, regardless of the effect on his constituents.
February 22, 2026: Kean brags about pennies on our dollars
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. repeatedly brags about how his office secures federal grants for projects in his 7th Congressional District, and helps constituents having trouble getting federal benefits. In his latest newsletter, he says that since he joined Congress in 2023, his casework team’s efforts have resulted in “more than $60 million returned to families, seniors, veterans, and small businesses.” He says his staff cuts through bureaucratic red tape at federal agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration.
That’s all well and good – and part of the job for any member of Congress.
But let’s look at the bigger picture. That $60 million is a tiny fraction of the tax money that residents in Kean’s NJ07 district send to Washington in taxes. An analysis of IRS data by USA Facts found revenue collected by the federal government from New Jersey in 2024 averaged out to $19,285 per person. Multiplied by the NJ07 population of 760,058, that comes to roughly $14.5 BILLION paid by Kean’s constituents to the U.S. Treasury.
And by the way, New Jersey sends far more to the federal government in taxes than it gets back in benefits and other funding. There is a $68 billion dollar gap between what Garden State residents pay the federal government and what they get back. We’re one of 33 such “donor states,” but only three states have a larger gap. New Jersey gets about 63 cents from the feds for every dollar it sends Washington, according to the USA Facts report. (A Rutgers study put it at 75 cents on the dollar based on 2019 data, so the gap has grown. )
Most importantly, Congressman Kean’s vote for President Trump’s budget bills makes him responsible for dramatically decreasing funding for the very agencies – IRS, VA and SSA – from which his casework team seeks to “return” funds to constituents. That will certainly not help reduce red tape and delays!
Last year, the VA lost 40,000 employes, 88 percent of them in health care.
Focusing on these funding reductions and DOGE cuts, the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee sounded an alarm to the American public “that the Trump Administration is literally destroying the Veteran’s Administration.” Similarly, DOGE recommended cutting 7,000 workers from the SSA. Together, cuts by DOGE and by Congress (with Kean’s support) have seriously compromised the SSA’s ability to service all Americans, including Kean’s constituents.
Then there are the budget cuts to Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, SNAP benefits – and the failure to renew ACA subsidies, causing health insurance premiums to jump for some 45,000 NJ07 residents – all thanks to Kean’s votes in Congress.
So the next time Kean brags about helping a constituent cut through a bureaucratic snag to get benefits due – remember that he has also helped take benefits away from all of us!
February 21, 2026: Judge calls out false narrative Kean pushes
We previously took Rep. Tom Kean Jr. to task for pushing the Trump regime's narrative that mass deportation of noncitizens promotes the safety of citizens - and that roving bands of ICE and other federal agents are going after dangerous criminals.
In a remarkably outspoken opinion this week, U.S. District Judge Sunshine S. Sykes in California also called out this false narrative - and went a lot further.
The case involved the arrest of a noncitizen by masked ICE agents (1) without an arrest warrant issued by a federal court judge and (2) in violation of an injunction issued by Judge Sykes.
The court reviewed a series of DHS press releases, similar to the one referenced in Kean's Feb. 15 newsletter, boasting of capturing dangerous criminals. Judge Sykes concluded that the releases “repeat the rhetoric suggesting that ICE operations are limited to the 'worst of the worst': criminal noncitizens." - but stated that this is "an inaccurate description of most of the people affected by DHS and ICE's operations."
Also “swept into the nationwide and reckless violations of law by the executive branch” are citizens and noncitizens who have not even been accused of committing a crime.
The court identified the Administration’s ongoing “terror” upon noncitizens to include:
(1) the arrest of a 5 year-old boy without an arrest warrant issued by a federal court judge,
(2) the continued arrests without an arrest warrant issued by a federal court judge,
(3) those warrantless arrests continuing in violation of a stay issued by Judge Sykes,
(4) the government's continued justification of these arrests based on its interpretation of the Immigration and Nationality Act which has been expressly rejected by virtually every federal court that addressed the issue, including Judge Sykes, and
(5) the continued use of masks by ICE agents, concealing their identity and impeding their accountability.
The court further observed that this Administration has “extended its violence upon its own citizens, killing two American citizens - Renee Good and Alex Pretti...”
The language of this decision is truly remarkable, insofar as it broadly condemns the Administration’s lawlessness. Usually, courts limit their decisions to the facts of the discrete case before them. The tenor of the opinion may reflect the rising frustration that federal judges have over the Executive Branch’s apparent disregard of judicial orders.
Apparently, our Congressman either doesn't share that frustration - or doesn't have the courage to speak out against it. Either way, it's one more reason New Jersey's 7th Congressional District needs to replace him in November.
February 16, 2026: Kean touts arrests, ignores abuses by DHS
Congressman Tom Kean Junior’s Feb. 15 newsletter to constituents includes a set of five mug shots of “dangerous criminals who had been residing in communities across New Jersey’s Seventh Congressional District,” but have, he says, been arrested “thanks to the work of Department of Homeland Security.”
Kean’s message doesn’t explain when or how the five were arrested. By Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs & Border Patrol (CBP), or other DHS agents sent into NJ communities? Or by New Jersey authorities, who later turned them over for deportation? In recent months or further in the past? Were they convicted of crimes or only accused? (One of them, according to the DHS website, was arrested in Minnesota, not New Jersey.)
Without more details, it’s impossible to know whether unleashing ICE/CBP in New Jersey communities actually resulted in these apprehensions and made “our neighborhoods safer,” as Kean puts it.
But what we do know is that the roving bands of masked ICE/CBP agents operating in American cities with little regard for Constitutional rights or law-enforcement procedures have arrested more law-abiding, hard-working, tax-paying residents – and families with children – than dangerous criminals. They also have unlawfully arrested American citizens – and shot two dead in Minnesota for observing their actions. They are holding people in prison camps, in deplorable conditions, blocking their access to attorneys, and refusing to allow members of Congress to inspect the facilities as the law requires. And they are working to rapidly expand their network of detention centers – including at a warehouse in Roxbury, N.J., in Kean’s congressional district, despite local officials’ opposition.
DHS’s own internal records, uncovered by CBS News, show that less than 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by ICE during Trump's first year back in office faced charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses. Some 40% had no criminal charges at all – not even misdemeanors. And every day brings new stories of lawful immigrants and citizens swept up in ICE/CBP dragnets and detained for hours or days before being released.
In his newsletter, Kean proclaims that “public safety must always come first.” Indeed, deporting immigrants who are convicted of felonies is lawful and promotes public safety. But Kean’s message advances an oft-repeated false narrative that erroneously links immigrant status with criminality.
After review of 19 relevant research studies, the American Immigration Counsel concluded that “research has consistently shown that undocumented immigrants are far less likely to be arrested for felony and violent offenses, including homicide, than are US-born residents.” Included in that review were studies performed by the Cato Institute, a think tank cofounded by Charles Koch, whose PAC contributed $5,000 to Kean’s 2020 campaign.
Congressman Kean, in the same Feb. 15 newsletter and a press release, touts his sponsorship of the “Countering Wrongful Detention Act of 2025,” designed to protect American citizens from unlawful detention abroad. Yet he voted for Republican budget bills that have given ICE a massive budget – $37.5 billion a year – that is larger than those of most nations’ militaries. The resulting surge of hiring has staffed the agency with officers who show little understanding or respect for civil rights and legal process. And they have been sent into our cities to round up non-white people who might (or might not) be subject to deportation. It’s capture first, ask questions later.
When persons lawfully residing in this country have been illegally arrested and detained, the government has in multiple cases refused to comply with judicial orders for their release. This has resulted in contempt proceedings against administration officials, including ICE director Todd Lyons. In one ruling, the court observed that “ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”
Despite his repeated insistence that the “rule of law” must be maintained, Tom Kean Junior has remained conspicuously silent in the face of consistent and blatant disregard of the “rule of law” by the same ICE agents he so enthusiastically voted to fund with our tax dollars.
February 13, 2026: Kean Silent as Trump Trashes Environment
Rep Tom Kean Jr. proclaims on his website: “I am proud to have spent my public life fighting to protect our environment so that it can be enjoyed hy our children and our grandchildren.” And he points out that he began his public life at the Environmental Protection Agency in 1991.
But as our elected representitive, his voting record and his deafening silence on key issues show that he has turned his back on protecting our environment.
Since his election to the House of Representatives in 2022, Kean’s assaults upon the environment include;
-
his 2023 vote in favor of HR 1 (118) to roll back former President Biden’s climate change initiative.
-
his 2025 vote in favor of slashing more than 50% of the EPA’s budget.
-
and now, his silence as Trump totally eliminates the federal government’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
The threat to our environment posed by greenhouse gas emissions was recognized In 2011 by the Congressman's father, former Gov. Thomas H. Kean, who in 2011 called upon informed citizens to “confront those who don’t believe in the science of it for the ignorant people that they are.”
Apparently, Tom Junior wasn’t listening.
Jan. 23, 2026: Kean Ignores ICE-CBP Abuses
Bragging about his vote this week for the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. said it includes "investments into border security." Apparently that's what he calls the money for ICE and CBP to
-
continue terrorizing American communities, grabbing immigrants (documented or not) off streets, out of their homes and from the hallways of courthouses where they are trying to follow immigration law;
-
build concentration camps and hold detainees in inhumane conditions before deporting them;
-
attack and even kill Americans who protest their brutal tactics.
In recent months, ICE has deported a four-year-old American with Stage 4 kidney cancer; violently dragged a 17-year-old citizen away from his workplace while he pleaded “I’m a U.S. citizen”; put a 16-year-old American boy in a prohibited chokehold while he cried “I was going to school!”; grabbed a 5-year-old and tried to use him to lure his family from its home; broke down doors to enter homes without warrants; indiscriminately smashed the windows of vehicles driven by innocent Americans; unlawfully detained or arrested hundreds of U.S. citizens; targeted Americans solely on the basis of race; violently attacked journalists and clergy; and killed a U.S. citizen in front of her spouse.
What is Congressman Tom Kean Junior's position on these acts of violence perpetrated by the United States on its own citizens?
Silence.
What does he have to say about ICE and CBP ignoring due process and the civil rights of immigrants and citizens alike?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Kean’s office has even refused to comment on a proposed ICE facility in his own district. His website describes his position on immigration like so: “We are a nation of laws and a top priority needs to be the safety and security of America’s citizens.”
Does violently invading American cities in tactical gear, masks and unmarked cars; violently grabbing people who look like they might be foreign and sorting out their actual status later; snatching teenagers out of their workplaces and children on their way to or from school - does any of this prioritize our safety, Congressman Kean?
In 2024, Rep. Kean twice voted to impeach then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for allegedly refusing to follow immigration law and "a clear breach of public trust.” If he thought policy disputes were enough to warrant impeachment, surely he must realize ICE’s renegade conduct warrants current Secretary Kristi Noem's removal.
Congressman Kean: Break your silence. Speak out against the Trump regime's cruel attacks American communities. And join the effort in the House to impeach Noem!
Dec. 30, 2025: Kean Puts Rosy Spin on Healthcare Cuts
In his last constituent newsletter of 2025, Rep. Tom Kean Jr cited his vote for the “Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act,” and claimed it would “lower insurance premiums by an estimated 11%.”
In fact, the bill would not directly change premiums. It would do some potentially positive things: It would appropriate funds to reduce deductibles, copays and coinsurance for low-income people buying insurance on the ACA marketplace. It would enable small businesses to band together and offer health plans to their workers. And it would require Pharmacy Benefit Managers to deal more transparently with employer health plans in setting prescription drug prices.
Those changes could lead insurers to reduce premiums and could reduce overall costs – for some people in some circumstances.
But crucially, the bill does not renew the enhanced ACA premium tax credits that expired Jan. 1. And that is directly increasing premiums for millions of Americans enrolled in health plans through ACA marketplaces – doubling the cost in many cases. Those affected include more than 45,000 NJ07 residents enrolled through New Jersey's ACA marketplace, GetCoveredNJ.
Congressman Kean said in his newsletter that he remains committed to extending the ACA premium tax credits “as soon as possible” by forging “a responsible bi-partisan solution.” Yet he voted to pass the Republican healthcare bill that doesn’t extend the credit. And he failed to mention that Republican leadership blocked alternative bills which would have extended the tax credits for 2 or 4 years.
Kean also didn’t mention that he voted with his Republican Party earlier last year to approve the so-called Big Beautiful Bill – rejecting Democratic proposals to add an extension of the expiring ACA premium tax credit through 2026. He also backed his party when it shut down the government rather than include an extension of the credit in a government funding bill.
Kean’s expressed willingness to act in a bipartisan manner rings hollow given that he sided with his party three times in defeating Democratic efforts to preserve the ACA credit.
In short, Congressman Kean claims he’s committed to extending the ACA premium tax credits – and claims to seek bipartisan solutions to rising health care costs. Yet he repeatedly has refused to join with Democrats in supporting bills that would have avoided the soaring ACA premiums now taking effect.
Does Kean seek “bipartisan solutions” only when Republican leadership gives the green light?
When the needs of his NJ07 constituents conflict with the Republican Party line, Congressman Kean makes it very clear which he cares about.