The congressional office of Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas denied she was in a memory care facility after a right-wing news outlet reported. Dallas Express said she hasn’t been in Washington in months and was found at Tradition-Clearfork in Fort Worth, which offers assisted living and memory care in addition to independent living for seniors.
Tradition-Clearfork on Sunday declined to comment, however farmer’s son confirmed to the Dallas Morning News that he was a resident. However, he said she is in the independent living wing, not the memory care wing of the facility.
He also acknowledged that his mother was “having some dementia issues at the end of the year”.
Granger, who has represented the 12th congressional district since 1997, announced at the end of 2023 that she would not seek re-election and abruptly resigned her post as chairwoman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee in late March. He cast his last congressional vote in July.
Craig Goldman will succeed her when the new Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2025.
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On Sunday, her office released a statement saying, “Kay Granger is not in memory care,” and issued a statement from the congresswoman, who said, “Like many of my family, friends and colleagues have you know, I’ve been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year.”
He said that since early September, “his health challenges have progressed making frequent trips to Washington difficult and unpredictable.”
Granger, 81, acknowledged that he returned to Washington in November for some meetings, thanked his staff and oversaw the closing of his congressional office.
At that time, the House Appropriations Committee honored her and unveiled her portrait in a ceremony on November 19. However, although the House voted that day, she did not participate.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, another Republican in the Texas delegation, said “Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan on Sunday that he was unaware of Granger’s state of health before the latest reports emerged from Dallas.
“I think there’s no doubt that a lot of us knew that he was getting old, as a lot of members do. And unfortunately, you know, some of those members wait until things have gone too far,” Gonzales said. The congressman told Brennan he wasn’t sure how well House leaders understood the situation.
“I’m not quite sure which leadership knew or didn’t know,” he continued. “I think this goes … back to the root. Congress should do its job, and if you can’t do your job, maybe you shouldn’t be there.”