Care home congresswoman breaks her silence after raking in $170k salary despite not working

Republican Congresswoman Kay Granger has released her first public statement after it emerged she was living in a retirement home while still drawing her $174,000 salary.

Kay Granger, 81, has been living in the $4,000-a-month nursing home for the past six months after she was found wandering around her neighborhood lost and confused, according to an investigation by the Dallas Express.

The Texas representative, who has not cast a vote in six months, was set to end a nearly 30-year career in the House of Representatives in January but has now stoked anger over older politicians who remain in power and fueled debate about aging American politics. class.

In a statement released Sunday, Granger said, “I am deeply grateful for the outpouring of care and concern over the past few days.”

She did not discuss her current residence, but admitted to having “health issues” over the past year while serving in Congress on a salary of $174,000.

“As many of my family, friends and colleagues know, I have faced a number of unforeseen health challenges over the past year,” she wrote.

“Since early September, however, my health problems have increased, making regular travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable.”

She pointed to her presence in Washington in November — where her staff tweeted a photo of her staring at her congressional portrait — to thank her staff and “oversee the closure of my Washington office.”

“Thank you for your continued prayers and support for me,” she finished.

According to Legislative stormNot only has Granger received a six-figure congressional salary, she has also paid her staff more than $1 million in the past year.

Brandon Granger, one of the congressman’s three children, also spoke about his mother’s condition on Sunday.

He told the Dallas Morning News that while reports that she was living at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth are true, she is not staying at the residence’s “memory care” facility.

“There’s nothing wrong with someone wanting to live in a community with other people their age,” he said.

“She’s in a building with a lot of other people her age who are super active and who she really loves. She has exercise classes, she’s always around people, it’s great for her at this point in life.”

However, Granger, 52, admitted that his mother — Fort Worth’s first female mayor and the first Republican woman elected to Congress — has had “a tough year” and is surprised by how her condition has degenerated.

The last time voters could remember Granger voting on a bill before the House was in July.

Carlos Turcios, a reporter for a local station, started doing some investigating by contacting her offices, which never responded to calls and went straight to voicemail.

Granger’s constituency office was also a complete ghost town when I visited, with no trace of anyone working there.

Ultimately, one of Granger’s constituents suggested to the Dallas Express that the congresswoman was living in an assisted living facility.

She was reportedly living in a care home that specializes in memory loss after being found “wandering, lost and confused” in her neighborhood.

A visit to the Tradition-Clearfork in Fort Worth resulted in two employees confirming that Granger lives there.

“This is her home,” said Taylor Manziel, assistant executive director of Tradition-Clearfork.

With a month left in her term and important votes still taking place daily in Washington, local officials are outraged to discover her absence.

“The lack of representation for CD-12 is troubling, to say the least,” said Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French.

“At a time when extremely important votes are taking place, including the 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.’

“The fact that Kay Granger cannot leave her nursing home to participate in the most important congressional vote of the year indicates that she was already visibly in decline when she ran for re-election in 2022,” said Rolando Garcia, a Republican committeeman in Congress. the district.

‘A sad and humiliating way to end her political career. Sad that no one cared enough to ‘take the keys’ before she reached this moment, and a sad commentary on the gerontocracy of Congress.”

The congresswoman and her staff will likely continue to collect their taxpayer-funded salaries.

The space she has lived in for the past six months, she says, charges more than $4,000 a month in rent. 360 West.

Amenities include a 24-hour concierge, lounges, card rooms, a movie theater, an indoor pool, and group exercise classes.

One resident questioned by Craig Goldman, the fellow Republican chosen to replace Granger, will not be sworn in early. Goldman has not yet commented.

In the Senate, New Jersey Democrat Andy Kim was sworn in a month earlier to replace the interim replacement for the disgraced Bob Menendez.

Until 2024, so was Granger the Republican chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

She said in November 2023 that she will not seek re-election in 2024 after almost thirty years. Congress.

Her district, which includes Fort Worth, is heavily Republican, as evidenced by Goldman’s election.

“It is time for the next generation to step up and take up the mantle and be a strong and fierce representative of the people,” Granger said in a statement.

Granger’s district is home to a Lockheed Martin factory that builds the F-35 fighter jet, and over the years it has been a key figure in securing more military funding.