Retiring Texas congresswoman, who has missed votes since July, experiencing ‘dementia issues,’ son says
By Sam Fossum, CNN
(CNN) — Retiring Texas congresswoman and former House Appropriations Committee Chair Kay Granger has been experiencing “dementia issues” in recent months and is living in an independent living facility, her son Brandon Granger told the Dallas Morning News on Sunday.
“It’s been a hard year,” he said, according to the Texas publication. Brandon Granger also told the outlet that his mother is living at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth, Texas, but that she is not in a memory care facility as some media outlets have reported.
Rep. Granger’s son and and congressional office both said the 81-year-old congresswoman is not in memory care.
“There’s nothing wrong with someone wanting to live in a community with other folks their age,” Brandon Granger said, according to the Dallas Morning News.
In a statement provided by the congresswoman’s office, Granger said her health challenges have progressed since September and thanked her family and constituents for their support.
“I am deeply grateful for the outpouring of care and concern over the past several days. As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year. However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable. During this time, my staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years,” Granger said in a written statement provided to CNN by her office.
A source familiar with the congresswoman’s situation told CNN that she moved into an independent living facility to downsize and prepare for the future. This person added that if the congresswoman had known she would be unable to vote in the final six weeks of the 118th Congress, there would have been different preparations.
Granger last voted on the House floor on July 24, according to a CNN review of her voting record. Granger last year announced she would not seek reelection and this spring stepped down as chair of the influential House Appropriations Committee. She did not vote in the recent package to prevent a government shutdown.
“As I announce my decision to not seek re-election, I am encouraged by the next generation of leaders in my district. It’s time for the next generation to step up and take the mantle and be a strong and fierce representative for the people,” Granger said in a statement in November 2023.
While she has not voted since July, Granger has been back in Washington at least once since then. In mid-November, she took part in an official portrait unveiling and was celebrated by her colleagues for her career atop the powerful Appropriations Committee.
Granger was the first Republican woman to represent Texas in the House and has represented the 12th Congressional District, which includes Fort Worth, since 1997. She is being succeeded by Republican Craig Goldman, a member of the Texas House.
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