Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), who served in Congress for over three decades, has entered hospice care at his home in Maine.
According to POLITICO, one of Frank’s last acts will be a book criticizing the Democratic Party’s progressive wing.
The 86-year-old said progressive Democrats have “embraced an agenda that goes beyond what’s politically acceptable,” the outlet noted.
EXCLUSIVE: Liberal icon Barney Frank is entering hospice care.
One of his final acts: A book repudiating progressive Dems, who he says have “embraced an agenda that goes beyond what’s politically acceptable.”
One of his regrets: "I won’t see the continued implosion of Donald…
— POLITICO (@politico) April 28, 2026
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Frank, who served in the House from 1981 to 2013, said he feels “very good — no pain, no discomfort,” but has entered hospice care as he deals with congestive heart failure. He is remaining in his home in Ogunquit, Maine, where he moved with his husband after retiring from Congress.
“At 86, I’ve made it longer than I thought,” Frank said. “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.”
ADVERTISEMENTKnown for his acerbic wit and sometimes combative style, Frank chaired the House Financial Services Committee through the heart of the 2008 financial crisis, from 2007 to 2011. His name is synonymous with Democrats’ last signature achievement in the financial policy space — a sweeping 2010 rewrite of Wall Street oversight known as the Dodd-Frank Act that put new scrutiny on U.S. banks.
Asked about his legacy, Frank said Tuesday he is “very proud of Dodd-Frank.”
“I think we have been vindicated against our critics from both the left and the right,” he said, noting that the only successful legislative effort to roll the law back was narrow in scope.
He also points to the country’s evolution on gay rights. Frank was the first member of Congress to come out voluntarily as gay and the first to enter a same-sex marriage while in office.
In the interview, Frank said he supports Maine Gov. Janet Mills for Senate over Graham Platner.
“I worry a little bit about the tendency on the Democratic side to fall for the flavor of the month,” he told the outlet.
“There is this flirtation or this attraction of people who are new and who are very good at articulating a response to the anger, but without talking about what you do about it,” he added.
Politico: Rep. Barney Frank, in one of his last acts, speaks out against the ascendant left in his party.https://t.co/LOYOaBci9Y
— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) April 28, 2026
Frank also took a jab at President Trump and Republicans going into the 2026 midterms.
He told the outlet that one of his “regrets” is that he won’t see the “continued implosion of Donald Trump.”
