According to Ms. Granger’s roll call vote page, Grangers last vote was on July 24th, 2024 as she voted No to the “Amendment in the House H.Amdt. 1157 (Miller) to H.R. 8998: To reduce the salary of Ya-Wei (Jake) Li, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticide Programs, to $1.”
Since then, Granger has not cast any votes in Washington on behalf of her Tarrant and Parker County constituents.
The Dallas Express attempted to reach her district and D.C. offices but calls went directly to voicemail where a recorded message from Congresswoman Granger plays.
“I am sorry we are unable to answer your phone right now. We are really glad you called us. Please leave your name, phone number and a brief message and someone in our office will call you back as soon as possible,” the recorded message says.
We then visited her office in person hoping to understand how Congresswoman Granger planned to vote on the continuing resolution this afternoon. Upon arrival, we found the door locked, front door glass window covered, no one inside, and no sign of the office continuing to be occupied.
When we asked employees at the WestBend building where Ms. Granger’s district office is located what happened to Ms. Granger’s office we were told that her team had packed up and closed the office before Thanksgiving. Her office appears to be closed for good (she is retiring at the end of the session) with phone calls going unanswered and voice mails not returned.
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.
The Dallas Express team visited the facility to confirm whether Granger was residing there and to inquire about how she planned to vote on the spending bill. Upon arrival, two employees confirmed that Granger is indeed living at the facility. However, we were not permitted to conduct an interview regarding the current spending debate in the House of Representatives and how or if Ms. Granger planned to vote.
Taylor Manziel who is the Assistant Executive Director for the senior living facility acknowledged to The Dallas Express that “This is her home.”
Tarrant County Republican Chairman Bo French told The Dallas Express that the lack of representation during a crucial voting period in Congress is troubling.
“The lack of representation for CD-12 is troubling to say the least. At a time when extraordinarily important votes are happening, including debt ceiling, disaster relief, farm bills and border issues, Kay Granger is nowhere to be found. The margin in Congress is razor thin and the lack of a Republican vote representing CD-12 disenfranchises 2 million people. We deserve better,” French said.
Other Tarrant County residents have raised concern over the lack of representation.
“We need someone there with their full capacities. Swear Craig in early. That’s the solution. That’s the right thing to do. She just missed a big vote, it wasn’t won/loss on one vote but we still have to protect our country, it’s not about hurt feelings. She’s a public servant, we have thanked her for her service but now she needs to resign,” Tarrant County resident Hollie Plemons told
Ms. Granger’s absence for almost the entire second half of this year and for these critical budget votes which will set the tone for the new Trump administration begs some important questions:
- Why have the public and Ms. Granger’s constituents been left in the dark about her whereabouts and the nature of her absence?
- Why has Congressional District 12 gone without representation for more than five months? And how has no one in Fort Worth or her larger district, particularly the Fort Worth establishment media, seemed to notice or care?
- If Ms. Granger is mentally incapacitated why didn’t she simply retire early and allow Congressman-elect Craig Goldman to be appointed in the interim so the district could be represented during this critical vote and transition period?
In the meantime, Congresswoman Granger and her staff are currently remain on the taxpayer’s payroll until January 3rd, 2025, ostensibly taking early retirement and a long taxpayer-funded vacation while District 12 taxpayers have no representation in Congress.
The Dallas Express reached out to incoming Congressman-elect Craig Goldman for comment but did not receive a response.