In a statement to WFAA, the 81-year-old said she has experienced “unforeseen health challenges” this year. She’s missed 126 roll call votes since July 24.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Retiring U.S. Rep. Kay Granger is not living in a memory care unit, her office told WFAA Sunday.
Rumors about the 81-year-old’s whereabouts have swirled since Friday, when the Dallas Express published an article that questioned her mental fitness. It noted accurately that Granger has not cast a vote since July 24.
But Granger is not “missing,” as many social media users have since suggested.
“I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year,” Granger said in a Sunday statement to WFAA. “However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable. During this time, my incredible staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years.”
Granger’s son, Brandon, Sunday told the Dallas Morning News his mother has experienced “dementia issues late in the year.” He told the paper his mother now resides at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth.
The popular, upscale complex for seniors has a memory care wing, but Brandon Granger said his mother is staying in an independent living facility on the same property. He declined to comment further when contacted by WFAA on Sunday.
Friday, the Dallas Express quoted a social media user who posted that he’s “hearing” Granger was in a memory care unit. The publication’s CEO, Chris Putnam, challenged Granger in the Republican primary in 2020.
“This is a political website, run by political activists, edited by political activists, written by political activists,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram political analyst Bud Kennedy said. “There are not really any journalists involved.”
But Granger has missed key floor votes, including on last week’s budget deal that prevented a government shutdown.
The U.S. House of Representatives has convened and voted on 32 days since she last recorded a vote on July 24. A WFAA analysis shows Granger missed all 126 roll call votes in that span.
Granger returned to Washington, D.C. in November for a celebration in her honor. House Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson and majority leader Steve Scalise, spoke at the event.
Despite her presence at the capitol, Granger missed several votes that week.
Granger, a former Fort Worth mayor, is among the most powerful women and Texans in the United States. She chaired the committee in charge of the federal budget from January 2023 to April 2024.
During her 27-year tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, Granger secured key defense contracts for Fort Worth manufacturers. She also steered money toward the flood control project that will form Panther Island.
Democrats have praised Granger for her willingness to reach across the aisle.
Granger announced she would not run for re-election in November 2023. Voters selected the candidate she endorsed, Craig Goldman, to replace her.
Goldman will be sworn in on Jan. 3.