Rep. Kay Granger‘s (R-TX) absence from voting in the last six months has prompted some of her fellow lawmakers to condemn unlimited terms of service in Congress.
Granger, 81, cited “unforeseen health challenges over the past year” as the reason for not traveling to Washington since September. As a result, House Republicans have been down one vote since July, the last time she voted.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) appeared Sunday on Face the Nation to confirm that he did not know Granger was in a memory care unit and assisted living home, as the Dallas Express reported.
“Sadly, some of these members wait until it’s too long — things have gone too far,” Gonzales said. “I think this gets back to the root of it: Congress should do its job. And if you can’t do your job, maybe you shouldn’t be there.”
“A lot of people must have known,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) wrote. “She hadn’t done her job in a long time. Where was Rep. Kay Granger’s staff? They were covering for her dementia. Not as much to protect Rep. Granger, But so *her staff* could stay in power. Why does this sound familiar?”
Lee posted an artificial intelligence-generated photo of Granger with President Joe Biden appearing like marionette puppets.
“Congresswoman Kay Granger is a star-spangled public servant,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) wrote. “I thank her, and America thanks her.”
“I’m more concerned about the congressmen who have dementia and are still voting,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) wrote in reaction to the news of her absence circulating.
“Kay Granger’s long absence reveals the problem with a Congress that rewards seniority & relationships more than merit & ideas. We have a sclerotic gerontocracy,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) wrote. “We need term limits. We need to get big money out of politics so a new generation of Americans can run and serve.”
Kari Lake, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Voice of America director, shared her condolences to Granger and her constituents.
“Both of them deserve better,” Lake wrote. “Washington D.C. shouldn’t be a retirement home, but the entrenched forces there are so desperate to hold on to power that they will reject fresh voices while pulling stunts like this.”
“The cover up about Kay Granger is the BIGGEST FRAUD perpetrated on Congress in history!” former Rep. George Santos wrote. “We the people have the right to oversight over Congress and we demand answers now!”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Granger’s X account posted a note Friday thanking her team of interns. A Community Note has since been added to the post, reading, “As of Dec. 20, 2024, it has been confirmed that Rep. Granger has been admitted to a memory care and assisted living home in Dallas, TX, and has been there for some time.”
The Texas representative is set to retire at the end of her term on Jan. 3, 2025.