Report of 'Missing' GOP Congresswoman in Senior Facility Sparks Backlash

What's New

A report of "missing" Representative Kay Granger, a Texas Republican, being found in a senior care facility on Friday has sparked backlash across social media about the age of Congress members.

Newsweek has reached out to Granger's office via email for comment on Sunday morning.

Why It Matters

Over the last decade or so, the federal government has earned a reputation as being something of a gerontocracy, with power concentrated among a group of elders significantly older than the majority of the adult population. Decisions from aging officeholders of both parties to hold onto their posts has drawn scrutiny in recent years and raised questions about whether they have the mental acuity or fresh ideas needed to lead the country.

In recent years, notable high-profile politicians including President Joe Biden (81), President-elect Donald Trump (78) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (82) have drawn criticism based on their ages and multiple public medical episodes. Prior to Biden's dropping out of the 2024 race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris (then-59), most Americans expressed disillusionment towards the older ages of both him and Trump.

What to Know

According to Granger's roll call vote page, the 81-year-old congresswoman's last vote was on July 24 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 and her prolonged absence sparked concern among constituents in Texas' 12th Congressional District.

After multiple attempts were made by the Dallas Express to locate Granger, a reporter at the newspaper received a tip that she had been staying at a memory care facility after being found lost and confused while wandering through her neighborhood.

According to the newspaper, Dallas Express reporters who visited the facility to confirm Granger's residency and inquire about how she planned to vote on the recent spending bill were not permitted to speak with the congresswoman.

Employees confirmed that Granger was living in the facility with assistant executive director of the facility, Taylor Manziel, acknowledging that "this is her home," the Dallas Express reported.

However, speaking to The Dallas Morning News, Brandon Granger, the congresswoman's son, said she is living at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth, and is not in a memory care facility as some media reports have stated.

He said that while the facility has a memory care community on the same property, Granger resides in the independent living facility.

"It's been a hard year," Brandon told the publication, adding that she has been "having some dementia issues late in the year" and it has been a surprise how quickly it progressed.

According to The Dallas Morning News, in a statement from her office, Granger expressed gratitude for the public's concern and said that since early September her health issues have made frequent travel to Washington, D.C., "both difficult and unpredictable."

"As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year," the statement said.

This comes after Granger was publicly seen in late November at the unveiling of her portrait in the House Appropriations Committee chambers in Washington and to oversee the closure of her office.

Granger, who was elected to the House in 1997, is the first Republican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas and became the first woman from her party to chair the appropriations committee.

She was also the fourth Texan in history to chair the committee, following Joseph Sayers.

What People Are Saying

In response to Granger being found at the memory care facility, some took to X, formerly Twitter, to express their concerns over the age of Congress members.

Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Republican Arizona Senator John McCain wrote on X, "Don't tell me political media isn't a broken hellscape when a well known congresswoman can just go missing for six months and then show up in a dementia care facility. Like a congresswoman not showing up for 6 months wasn't noticed or worth writing about?!"

MSNBC News columnist Eric Michael Garcia wrote on X, "Kay Granger, David Scott, Thad Cochran and Dianne Feinstein reveal a big problem that Congress rewards seniority to build power. That incentivizes people to stay long past their expiry date."

Collin Rugg, co-owner of conservative news site Trending Politics, wrote on X, "Senator Mitch McConnell, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and now Rep. Kay Granger are taking falls and losing their cognitive abilities as they refuse to leave office. McConnell: Busted his face open and hurt his wrist after a fall. Pelosi: Broke her hip requiring emergency surgery after falling down stairs. Granger: Was found in a senior care facility after people started noticing that she was 'missing,' according to the Dallas Express. We deserve better."

CNN senior reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere wrote on X while sharing a link to a local news website, "Says a lot about a lot of things that this headline exists: 'Missing' GOP Congresswoman Not Seen For Six Months Finally Found Living at Dementia Care Home."

Tarrant County Republican Chairman Bo French told the Dallas Express the lack of representation during a crucial voting period in Congress was "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.

Jacob Neiheisel, an associate political science professor at the University of Buffalo, told Newsweek earlier this month that the age issue in Congress depends on perspective—and that's subjective and not uniform across the political spectrum.

What Happens Next

Granger is expected to retire at the end of the session as she announced her decision in November 2023. According to the Dallas Express, the congresswoman and her staff will remain on the taxpayer's payroll until January 3, 2025.

Update 12/22/24, 3:23 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information. Based on Granger's son's statement, the headline has also been updated.