'Missing' Congresswoman Seen at Restaurant Owned by Son

6 hours ago 1

What's New

Texas Republican Representative Kay Granger was spotted at a beer garden owned by her son, on Sunday, as rumors around the "missing" lawmaker's "dementia issues" spread.

Newsweek called Granger's office for comment and left a message.

Why It Matters

Granger has been missing from Capitol Hill for months now. There were reports she had been living in a "memory care" facility, but her office and son disputed this.

Her son Brandon, 52, confirmed that his mother has "dementia issues" that have kept her from participating in Congress recently, the Dallas Morning News reported on Sunday.

Brandon told the news outlet that Granger, 81, has been living in Traditions Senior Living in Fort Worth, Texas. He said she was in the independent living facility and not the memory care wing.

"It's been a hard year," Brandon Granger, 52, said. "There is nothing wrong with someone wanting to live in a community with other folks their age."

Despite the new residence rumors, photos from social media seem to show Granger at Crystal Springs Hideaway, a beer garden, in Fort Worth on Sunday.

Rep. Kay Granger, who was alleged to be in memory care according to hardline right wing media, spotted today at Crystal Springs Hideaway in Fort Worth, TX. One of her constituents told me she seemed "with it," but they're upset at her lack of transparency about dementia issues. pic.twitter.com/dHegsTObct

— stevanzetti.bsky.social (@stevanzetti) December 22, 2024

Another son of Granger's, JD Granger, owns the Crystal Springs Hideaway which opened in September.

In a statement to multiple outlets, Granger spoke of her health issues and said she is "grateful for the outpouring of care and concern over the past several days.

"As many of my 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 both difficult and unpredictable.

"During this time, my staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years," she added.

What To Know

Granger was Fort Worth, Texas' first female mayor, after being elected in 1991. She served two terms. Granger then became the first Republican woman to represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives when she was voted in in 1996.

Granger also became the first Republican woman to sit on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations.

On October 30, 2023, Granger confirmed she would not be running for re-election in 2024. She was the chair of the House Appropriations Committee before stepping down in April.

Granger no longer has a roll call vote page on her website. The Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, however, has Granger as "not voting" since halfway through the day on July 24.

Her last vote, on July 24 at 11:11 a.m., was a "no" to providing fiscal year 2025 "appropriations for the Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency and several related agencies."

Granger did participate in a ceremony to celebrate her work on the Appropriations Subcommittee in November.

The Dallas Express wrote an article titled, "Where is Congresswoman Kay Granger," where it was reported that her office was shut down. The outlet noted it received a tip that Granger went into assisted living after "having been found wandering lost and confused in her former Cultural District/West 7th neighborhood."

Two employees confirmed to The Dallas Express that Granger was at the facility.

What People Are Saying

Republican Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, on X: "I'm more concerned about the congressmen who have dementia and are still voting."

Democrat California Representative Ro Khanna, on X: "Kay Granger's long absence reveals the problem with a Congress that rewards seniority and relationships more than merit and ideas. We have a sclerotic gerontocracy. We need term limits. We need to get big money out of politics so a new generation of Americans can run and serve."