Retired U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, a Republican from Fort Worth, hasn’t been able to vote in Congress since the summer and her son said she was “having issues with dementia at the end of the year.”
The last time the 81-year-old MP vote on the upper floor of the House, it was the morning of July 24.
In a statement from his office, Granger expressed gratitude for the public’s concern and said that since early September, his health problems have made his frequent trips to Washington, D.C., “both difficult and unpredictable.”
“As many of my family, friends and colleagues know, I have faced unforeseen health challenges over the past year,” the statement said.
Granger added that she was able to return to Washington in November to hold meetings and oversee the closure of her office.
From South Carolina, Brandon Granger, 52, said The Dallas Morning News Sunday said “it’s been a tough year,” adding that the speed with which health problems progressed was a surprise.
Brandon said his mother lived at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth, but was not in a memory care facility, as some media outlets reported. He said that although the facility has a memory care community on the same property, Granger resides in the independent living facility.
On its website, Tradition Senior Living says it offers “resort-style living with ultra-inclusive services” on “approximately six acres along the Trinity River with miles of walking trails.” Brandon said his mother moved because she wanted to be part of a more active community of other seniors.
“There’s nothing wrong with someone wanting to live in a community with other people their age,” he said. “She’s in a building with a lot of other people her age who are super active and who she really likes. She takes exercise classes, she’s around people all the time, it’s wonderful for her at this stage of her life.
Tradition Senior Living said it was unable to confirm a person’s residency status when contacted by phone Sunday.
Granger has three children and five grandchildren, according to her congressional website.
She announced in November 2023 that she would not seek re-election.
“It’s time for the next generation to take over and be a strong and fierce representative of the people,” she said in a statement at the time.
After his announcement, state representative Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, has filed to run. He defeated businessman John O’Shea in the primary runoff and Democrat Trey Hunt in the general election. He will be sworn in on January 3.
Granger closed out his long tenure in Congress by missing several months of votes.
She missed votes the night of July 24 and the next day before the House recessed for the August recess. The House did not vote again until September 9. Lawmakers left on the campaign trail after voting on September 25 and did not vote again until returning on November 12.
The final vote in the 118th Congress took place Friday, when the House passed a spending bill aimed at keeping the government open. The total was 366-34. Granger was one of 29 members who did not vote.
Although she missed those votes, Granger attended a celebration of her career on the House Appropriations Committee in mid-November in Washington.
“As my term in Congress draws to a close, I feel fulfilled and leave with optimism that this chamber will continue to serve the best interests of the American people,” she said, according to a press release.
A photo of her laughing while looking at her official portrait, unveiled during the celebration, was posted on his professional X page.
Granger has achieved a number of “firsts” over the years. She served as the first female mayor of Fort Worth and became the first Republican woman elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1996.
Last year she was the first Republican woman to take the presidency of the House Appropriations Committee, a powerful committee responsible for crafting federal spending bills.
It was widely believed that a factor in his decision to retire, besides his age, was the fact that House GOP rules set a three-term limit for top committee positions.
She had already served two terms as the senior Republican when Democrats controlled the House, so absent an override, she would have been forced to relinquish the gavel in the following session.
She resigned as chairman of the committee in March, after Congress wrapped up the previous round of spending bills.
In a statement at the time, Granger noted that the appropriations process typically goes well beyond fall deadlines in election years. She said she was resigning early to ensure a smooth transition to the new chairman as the committee begins to focus on the next round of spending bills.
On the committee, Granger served as a leading Republican voice on national security. She pushed for robust defense spending and advocated for systems produced by Fort Worth-area defense contractors, such as Lockheed Martin’s F-35 jets.
She secured funding for other district priorities, including the $1.1 billion Trinity River Vision/Central City flood control project.
Radical conservatives have often criticized Granger as a Republican in name only, emblematic of a Republican establishment too eager to compromise with Democrats.
That criticism intensified after she was among the relatively small group of Republicans who blocked House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan offered to become a speaker last year.
Months before announcing her retirement, O’Shea launched a primary challenge against Granger, calling her the “matriarch of the opposition.”