The congressional office of Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas denied she is in a memory care facility after a report in the Dallas Express said she has not been in Washington in months and that she had been 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, but Granger’s son confirmed to the Dallas Morning News that she was a resident. However, he said that she’s in the independent living wing, not the memory care wing of the facility.
He also acknowledged that his mother was “having some dementia issues late in the year.”
The Dallas Express, a conservative outlet, first reported the news.
Granger, who has represented the 12th Congressional District since 1997, announced in late 2023 she would not run for reelection and abruptly stepped down from her post as chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee in late March. She cast her last vote in Congress in July.
She will be succeeded by Craig Goldman when the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 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, “As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year.”
She said that since early September, her “health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable.”
Granger, 81, acknowledged that she returned to Washington in November for some meetings, thanked her staff and oversaw the closure of her congressional office.
At that time, the House Appropriations Committee honored her, unveiling her portrait in a ceremony on Nov. 19. However, although the House voted that day, she did not participate.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, another Republican in the Texas delegation, told “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan on Sunday that he was not aware of Granger’s health status before the latest reports emerged from Dallas.
“I think there’s no doubt a lot of us knew that she was gaining an age, like a lot of members do. And sadly, you know, some of these members wait until things have gone too far,” said Gonzales. The congressman told Brennan he was not sure of the extent to which House leaders understood the situation.
“I’m not too sure what leadership knew on it or didn’t know on it,” he continued. “I think this goes…gets back to the root of it. Congress should do its job, and if you can’t do your job, maybe you shouldn’t be there.”