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Rep. American. Kay GrangerThe retired Fort Worth Republican, who has been frequently absent from Congress for months, said in a statement Sunday that she was facing “health challenges.”
“As many of my family, friends and colleagues know, I have faced some unforeseen health challenges over the past year,” she said. “However, since the beginning of September, my health problems have progressed, making frequent trips to Washington difficult. and unpredictable. During this time, my incredible staff has remained loyal, continuing to provide exceptional service to constituents, as they have for the past 27 years.
Granger, 81, was the first Republican woman elected to represent Texas in Congress, where she has served since 1997. In her statement, she said she was able to return to Washington, D.C. in November to attend meetings and supervise the closure of his office. as his last term comes to an end. She also attended a ceremony where her portrait was unveiled to celebrate her 25 years of service on the House Appropriations Committee.
Granger did not run for office this year. She will be replaced by the state representative. Craig Goldmana Republican who won the race for her seat in November. His term begins when Congress resumes session on January 3.
Granger did not say what her health problems were. His team did not immediately respond to questions about why Granger’s health problems had not been disclosed to the public before.
Granger’s last vote in Congress was in July. She was among 29 representatives who did not vote Friday on a spending bill critical to keeping the government open, but the measure overwhelmingly passed the House. The Senate passed it on Saturday.
The Dallas Morning News reported Sunday that Granger’s son, Brandon Granger, said his mother lived in a senior living facility in Fort Worth and suffered from “dementia issues.”
“It’s been a tough year,” he told the News.
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Brandon Granger has denied previous reports that his mother resided in a memory care center.
Granger previously served as mayor of Fort Worth. In Congress, she has served on the influential House Appropriations Committee since 1999. She became chair of the committee in 2022 before leaving office earlier this year.
Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by Methodist Health Ministries of South Texas, Inc.