Five Democrats have died in Congress since January 2025.
Now an 83-year-old Florida congresswoman has been missing from every House vote for nearly a month – and her team was quietly recycling old photos to make it look like she was still working.
Frederica Wilson disappeared from the House floor after April 17, and nobody from her office said a word.
43 Votes Gone While Her Social Media Team Kept Posting
Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson of Florida's 24th congressional district missed 43 consecutive House votes – nearly a full month of congressional business – without explanation, according to the official House roll call.
The silence wasn't the only problem.
While Wilson was nowhere to be found on the House floor, her official social media account was actively posting content – including at least one photo that had originally been uploaded back in October.
Congressional reporter Jamie Dupree flagged the deception publicly. Wilson's X account had promoted a Service Academy Day at FIU – but those same pictures had appeared on her feed the previous fall.
The votes kept coming and Wilson kept missing them. That included the extension of FISA surveillance authorities.
Committee hearings on Transportation and Infrastructure and Education and Workforce proceeded without her. Congressional cameras caught no footage of Wilson at any of those sessions.
Hakeem Jeffries finally confirmed Thursday that Wilson was "recovering from a procedure" and expected to return "shortly" – without specifying what the procedure was or when she had it.
Wilson then released her own statement: "Following left eye surgery, my priority has been ensuring a full and responsible recovery.
Although I am currently unable to fly under my doctors' orders, my work has not stopped for a single day."
The Pattern Democrats Keep Repeating
This isn't a one-off. This is who the Democrat Party is in 2026.
Four Democrats have died in Congress during the current session – Sylvester Turner of Texas, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Gerry Connolly of Virginia, and David Scott of Georgia.
Every one of them was between 65 and 87 years old. The 119th Congress is the third oldest in U.S. history.
Seven of the last eight House members to die in office were Democrats.
More than half of House Democrats aged 75 and older told Axios they planned to run for reelection in 2026 – Wilson among them.
She has held her seat since 2013 and is currently on the ballot again.
Wilson says she plans to return to Washington next week. Her constituents spent a month not knowing where she was, watching a social media feed designed to keep them from asking.
Jeffries knew she'd had surgery and said nothing until reporters started counting missed votes.
The Democrat Party doesn't have an age problem. It has an honesty problem.
Sources:
- Rebeka Zeljko, "83-Year-Old Democrat Absent For Dozens Of Consecutive Votes," Daily Caller, May 14, 2026.
- "Rep. Wilson Releases Statement on Scheduled Absence," Office of Rep. Frederica Wilson, May 14, 2026.
- "Rep. David Scott Becomes 5th Member of 119th Congress to Die in Office," CBS News, April 2026.
- "Rising Deaths in Congress Highlight Concerns of an Aging Legislative Body," The Hill, May 2026.
- "24 Members of Congress Are 80 or Older. More Than Half Are Running for Re-Election," NBC News, January 15, 2026.
