Update – December 23, 2024: Brandon Granger, the son of Kay Granger, shared with The Dallas Morning News on December 22, “It’s been a hard year,” noting that he was taken aback by how rapidly his mother’s health problems have developed, mentioning that his mother has been “having some dementia issues late in the year.”
Amid the ongoing drama in D.C., with Congress furiously debating and voting on an interim spending bill, constituents in Texas Congressional District 12 have asked, “Where is Congresswoman Kay Granger?”
Some Tarrant County residents have begun to speculate.
“I’m hearing she’s in a memory care unit. We need to have standards. Representatives who miss 3 votes in a row without announcing a legitimate medical reason should have their salaries and benefits frozen. This has to stop!” @fairfighter posted on X.
According to Ms. Granger’s roll call vote page, Granger’s last vote was on July 24, 2024, when 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 played.
“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, hoping to understand how Congresswoman Granger planned to vote on the continuing resolution this afternoon. Upon arrival, we found the door locked, the 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 had happened to her 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 voicemails 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 was 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, the senior living facility’s assistant executive director, told The Dallas Express, “This is her home.”
Tarrant County Republican Chairman Bo French told The Dallas Express that the lack of representation during a crucial congressional voting period 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 the 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 concerns 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,” said Tarrant County resident Hollie Plemons.
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 currently remain on the taxpayer’s payroll until January 3, 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.