Rep. Kay Granger Found Residing in Assisted Living

Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), who has not voted in Congress since July, is experiencing "dementia issues" and is in assisted living, her family told the Dallas Morning News (Center bias) on Sunday.

The Details: The 81-year-old retiring representative has been “having some dementia issues late in the year,” her son said. She has not cast a House vote since July 24, though she did reportedly hold meetings and oversee her office closure in November. Her son said she resides at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth and is not in a memory care facility, contrary to some reports. Concerns about her whereabouts and speculation she was in memory care were sparked by a report in The Dallas Express (not rated). Tradition Senior Living, which has a memory care facility on the premises, confirmed she was a resident, but did not say she was in memory care, a claim her office and son deny. 

For Context: Last year, Granger was the first female Republican to chair the House Appropriations Committee; she stepped down in the spring. A Republican said Granger did not step down earlier because, "Frankly, we needed the numbers." Republicans have previously criticized President Biden's officials for covering up his alleged mental decline. 

How the Media Covered It: Politico (Lean Left bias) and Fox News (Right bias) quoted Democrat and Republican reactions to the story. Several outlets contextualized the story in a larger concern about an aging Congress, noting House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Emeritus Mitch McConnell's recent falls and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein's memory issues before her death in 2023. The Daily Mail (Right bias) was among the outlets that falsely reported she was in memory care.