House Members Miss Multiple Roll Call Votes

Rep. Frederica Wilson, the 83-year-old Florida Democrat, has not cast a House vote since April 17. Her office provided no public explanation for nearly four weeks until House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries confirmed she had undergone major eye surgery and was expected to return soon.

During that period her social media account posted older photographs presented as current. Rep. , the 57-year-old New Jersey Republican, has missed votes since March 5, including legislation addressing a 75-day shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security.

His staff attributed the absences to a personal health matter.

In the Senate last year, Ruben Gallego missed 95 votes, the highest total recorded. Thom Tillis skipped 77 votes, Bernie Sanders missed 58, and John Fetterman missed 30 floor votes in the first five months of 2025. The Senate held 659 roll calls in 2025, fewer than 20 percent of which were fully attended.

Rank-and-file members receive $174,000 annually plus subsidized health coverage and a federal pension that vests after five years. S. Term Limits, told NBC News that incumbency rather than age creates the incentive structure for continued service despite absences.

The article states that term limits would require a constitutional amendment passed through a state-led Article V convention. It notes that 34 states can call such a convention and 38 states can ratify it without congressional approval.