Congressman Walter Jones under hospice care

Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C. poses for a portrait in his office on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, in Washington. As President Trump argued about what he said to the family of a soldier killed in Niger, a North Carolina congressman was quietly doing what he's done more than 11,000 times: signing a condolence letter to that family and others. Republican Rep. Walter Jones began signing the letters to families in 2003 as penance for his 2002 vote supporting war in Iraq. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

RALEIGH — U.S. Rep. Walter Jones Jr., a Republican congressman who has represented N.C. for over two decades, has entered hospice care.

A press release issued Saturday on Jones’s U.S. House website says that his health has declined since he recently broke his hip and that he’s in hospice care.

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Jones had been battling ailments in recent months and was granted a leave of absence from Congress in late 2018 after missing a number of votes.

Jones was re-elected to the U.S. House in November after running unopposed in a district that includes Kinston, Greenville and New Bern. He has served in Congress since 1995.

Shortly after Jones’ office issued the release, N.C. GOP Chairman Robin Hayes issued a brief statement via Twitter. “The news about Walter Jones entering Hospice is extremely sad for the entire Republican family,” said Hayes. “We pray for comfort and peace for him and his family.”