Barney Frank Enters Hospice at 86: Retired Congressman Reveals ‘One of My Regrets’

Barney Frank, a retired member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts, has entered hospice care at 86.

On April 28, the former politician confirmed the news to Politico as he copes with congestive heart failure. He is now in hospice care at his Ogunquit, Maine, home, where he lives with his husband.

“At 86, I’ve made it longer than I thought,” Frank told the outlet. “At some point, my heart’s just going to give out, and it’s reaching that stage. So I’m taking it easy at home and dealing with it by relaxing.”

He added that he feels “very good — no pain, no discomfort.”

Frank served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 to 2013. In 2010, he co-authored the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act with fellow Democrat Chris Dodd of Connecticut. The law was a response to the 2008 financial crisis, and it created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Financial Stability Oversight Council.

Frank also said that he was “very proud of Dodd-Frank” during his chat with Politico. “I think we have been vindicated against our critics from both the left and the right,” he shared.

U.S. President Barack Obama greets Rep. Barney Frank (R) (D-MA) and Sen. Chris Dodd (C) (D-CT) after signing the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Additionally, Frank reflected on being the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay.

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“When I decided, finally, to come out in ’87, it just struck me when I did that … the American people are a lot less homophobic than they thought they were supposed to be,” he told Politico. “More racist, unfortunately, but less homophobic.”

Later this year, the retired politician will release a book criticizing progressive Democrats, whom he says have “embraced an agenda that goes beyond what’s politically acceptable.” Frank explained, “Until we separate ourselves from that agenda, we don’t win.”

Still, he pointed out that the Republican party isn’t in the best position as the midterms approach, telling Politico, “One of my regrets is that I won’t see the continued implosion of [President] Donald Trump.”