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In a “sad commentary on the congressional gerontocracy,” the whereabouts of a Texas congresswoman only recently became known after months-long voting absence.

Few things were as steadfastly bipartisan on Capitol Hill as the establishment’s white-knuckled grip on the reins of power. Now, according to a report from The Dallas Express, staffers who’d escorted late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) around, or continued to do so for Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), were given a run for their money by the team of Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) who’d remained silent on her spending the waning days of her tenure at a memory care facility.

In an attempt to seek answers on why the congresswoman first elected in 1996 who reportedly hadn’t cast a vote since July 24, a constituent had tipped off the newspaper to her whereabouts, “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.”

Confirmed by two employees at the facility, the 81-year-old lawmaker’s situation spurred calls for term limits or some means of accountability for those lacking representation.

The Express reported that, prior to tracking her down at the facility, efforts to reach Granger’s offices were met with a recorded message, “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.”

A visit to the office found “the door locked, front door glass window covered, no one inside, and no sign of the office continuing to be occupied.”

Having stepped down as chair of the House Appropriations Committee for the 118th Congress, a position she’d held until April 2024, her office had not issued a press release since June while her social media page had remained active.

This included a number of days publishing images from a post-election celebration honoring the congresswoman that was attended by a number of GOP leaders such as House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (LA).

Granger, who’d served two terms as the first female mayor of Fort Worth, had announced in 2023 that she was not seeking re-election and did not appear on the primary ballot. Rep.-elect Craig Goldman (R) would be taking her seat to represent the 12th Congressional District in the 119th Congress.

“The lack of representation for CD-12 is troubling to say the least,” Tarrant Country Republican Chairman Bo French told the Express. “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 Republican vote representing CD-12 disenfranchises 2 million people. We deserve better.”

Likewise, as only one example of the myriad elderly politicians who occupied the halls of Congress, State Republican Executive Committeeman Rolando Garcia commented on Granger’s absence amid the funding vote as suggestive that “she was already in visible decline when she ran for re-election in 2022. A sad and humiliating way to end her political career. Sad that nobody cared enough to ‘take away the keys’ before she reached this moment. And a sad commentary on the congressional gerontocracy.”

Kevin Haggerty
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