Why Is a Sitting Texas Congresswoman Residing in an Assisted Living Facility?

Over the weekend, there was something of a debate about where sitting Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger is currently living because she's not spending much time in Washington, D.C. Not only was the Republican absent from voting during the whole spending bill debacle last week, but it turns out that she hasn't actually cast a vote since July and has missed 54% of the voting all year. 

On Friday, the Dallas Express reported, "We then received a tip from a Granger constituent who shared that the Congresswoman has been residing at a local memory care and assisted living home for some time after having been found wandering lost and confused in her former Cultural District/West 7th neighborhood."

Dallas Express staff visited the congresswoman's office, which was "packed up" before Thanksgiving. They also tried to call, but no one ever answered. It should be noted that Granger did not seek re-election and plans to retire in January, but by all accounts, it appears that she already has. Furthermore, the assistant executive director for the senior living facility confirmed that Granger is, indeed, a resident there.  

What happened next turned into something of a "he said, she said" kind of situation, but it didn't negate the fact that Granger, a sitting Republican congresswoman, has been absent from her duty at such a crucial time. The GOP's narrow majority makes this story even more concerning.

A spokesperson for Granger denied that she was in a "memory care" facility, but they did not deny any of the other claims made by the Daily Express.  On Sunday, Granger also put out a statement that said, "As many 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 difficult and unpredictable." Even so, Granger was in D.C. in November for her congressional portrait unveiling.  

Brandon Granger, the congresswoman's son, also spoke up, telling the New York Post that it was all a "a load of bulls**t." He confirmed that his mother was living in a "nice condo" at an "independent living facility" and that they do have a memory care center there, but she has nothing to do with it. He also claimed that his mother had dementia and that her decline had been "very rapid and very difficult."

The Post also reported that Chris Putnam, the CEO of the Dallas Express, challenged Granger in her primary in 2020. Perhaps there is some bad blood there. But Putnam says it isn't true. "What am I going to do, ignore the story just because I ran a primary against her? I have no personal animus against her whatsoever. I actually think it’s incredibly sad," he told the Post, adding, "I just think that the right thing for her to have done was to quietly and gracefully resign and allow her successor to be appointed to her seat so the district continued to have representation."  

Others — from both parties — agree. While Granger, who stepped down as chair of the House Appropriations Committee last spring, claimed leadership knew of her health and inability to travel, many have accused her of being deceitful. Texas GOP executive committeeman Rolando Garcia posted the following on X: 

Republican Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales appeared on "Face the Nation" on Sunday and said, "I wasn’t aware. I think there’s no doubt that a lot of us knew that she was gaining in age like a lot of members do. Sadly, some of these members wait until things have gone too far." 

California Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna also posted about the situation on X, calling for term limits. 

Granger served as the mayor of Fort Worth and went on to represent Texas's 12th congressional district, a seat she has held since 1997. Utah Senator Mike Lee said the whole situation makes a "compelling case for term limits" as well.   

Despite all the back and forth, the one thing that is clear is that Granger is unfit to serve and has been for quite some time. Of course, given that our own president isn't fit enough to serve either, what's a congressperson who has dementia and requires assisted living here or there? According to Politico, "Granger is one of 23 members of Congress (16 in the House and seven senators) who are at least 80 years old, a group that is led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who is 91."