Kay Granger, the Fort Worth Republican who spent nearly three decades in Congress and became the first woman in her party to lead the powerful House Appropriations Committee, died Sunday at age 83, drawing tributes from colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
Granger's son, J.D. Granger, confirmed her death to multiple outlets. No cause of death was disclosed, though the former congresswoman had battled serious health problems that forced her from Capitol Hill more than a year before she left office. She retired in January 2025 after representing Texas's 12th Congressional District since 1997.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called Granger "a dear friend who will be greatly missed" and said she had devoted her life to Fort Worth, first as a teacher and businesswoman, then on the city's Zoning Commission and City Council, then as mayor, and finally in Congress.
Before she ever set foot in Washington, Granger had already made history in Texas. She won election as Fort Worth's first female mayor, then in 1996 became the first Republican woman from Texas elected to the U.S. House. Fox News reported that she went on to serve for nearly three decades, a tenure that placed her among the longest-serving women in the House Republican Conference.
Her rise through the Appropriations Committee, the panel that controls federal spending, culminated in the chairmanship, a position that made her one of the most powerful members of Congress during her final full term. She was the first Republican woman ever to hold that gavel.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the Connecticut Democrat who serves as the committee's ranking member, noted that Granger's firsts extended even further. DeLauro said in a statement:
"Congresswoman Granger was the first woman to sit on and serve as chair of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. She was the first Republican woman to lead the full Appropriations Committee, and with our counterparts Senators Patty Murray and Susan Collins, was part of the first Committee led on all four corners by women."
That detail, all four leadership posts on Appropriations held simultaneously by women, across both chambers and both parties, is the kind of milestone that registers quietly in Washington but reshapes what the next generation of lawmakers sees as possible. Granger helped build that precedent without fanfare.
Her passing follows a period in which Washington has lost several prominent figures from both parties. Sen. Lindsey Graham's death earlier this year underscored how quickly the roster of experienced legislators is thinning.
Granger's final stretch in office was marked by prolonged absence. Newsmax reported that she had not cast a vote on the House floor since July 2024, and that dementia was among the health challenges she faced in her final months. She chose not to seek reelection in 2024, citing those worsening conditions.
In a December 2024 statement, Granger acknowledged the situation publicly for the first time in her own words:
"As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year. However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed, making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable."
She praised her staff for continuing to deliver constituent services throughout her absence, calling their work "exceptional" over 27 years. That staff kept the office running while their boss could no longer make the trip from Texas, a quiet testament to the operation she had built.
The question of aging lawmakers and declining health has become an unavoidable issue in Congress. Sen. Mitch McConnell's recent hospitalization raised similar concerns about whether senior members receive adequate support, or whether institutions look the other way when a colleague's capacity diminishes.
Speaker Johnson's tribute emphasized the breadth of Granger's public life, from the classroom to the committee room. He listed her roles, teacher, businesswoman, zoning commissioner, city council member, mayor, congresswoman, committee chair, as evidence of a career defined by steady service rather than headline-chasing.
"Throughout her career, she broke barriers for women in public service. Kelly and I send our prayers to her family, loved ones, and the Fort Worth community as we remember her extraordinary life of service and lasting legacy."
Rep. Lisa McClain, the Michigan Republican who chairs the House Republican Caucus, struck a similar note. She called Granger "a pioneer, a dedicated public servant, and a trailblazing leader who opened doors for generations of Republican women to follow."
McClain added: "Her impact on Congress and our Nation will not be forgotten. My prayers are with her family and loved ones."
DeLauro, the Democrat, offered one of the more substantive tributes. She said Granger "devoted her life to serving the people of Texas and our nation with integrity, determination, and a profound sense of duty," and recalled their years together on Appropriations as a working relationship grounded in "mutual respect and honesty."
That a senior Democrat would describe a Republican colleague in those terms says something about the kind of legislator Granger was. She did not build her legacy on cable-news combat. She built it on the unglamorous, consequential work of writing the federal budget, the constitutional duty DeLauro specifically cited in her statement.
The Washington Examiner noted that Granger's death prompted official responses from current House leadership, reflecting her lasting significance within the Republican conference even after her retirement.
Granger's congressional career spanned 28 years and seven presidents. She arrived in Washington in 1997, part of a Republican majority still consolidating power after the 1994 wave. She stayed long enough to chair the committee that funds the federal government.
The firsts she accumulated were not symbolic. The Defense Appropriations Subcommittee controls the Pentagon's budget. The full Appropriations Committee shapes every dollar Congress spends. Granger held the gavel on both, positions of real authority, not ceremonial titles.
Washington has seen several notable political deaths in recent months. Former Rep. Tim Murphy, another veteran lawmaker, died earlier this year, and each loss removes institutional memory from a Congress that increasingly runs on short tenures and social-media reflexes.
The New York Post reported that Granger's retirement in January 2025 came after extended absences from Washington, with her staff maintaining constituent operations through the transition. She left office without the kind of dramatic exit that dominates modern political coverage, she simply stepped aside when she could no longer do the job.
DeLauro's full statement captured something worth preserving. She said Granger earned "the respect of Members on both sides of the aisle through her steady leadership and deep belief in the importance of Congress fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to invest in the American people."
That phrase, "constitutional responsibility", is the thread running through Granger's career. She treated the power of the purse as a duty, not a platform. In an era when too many lawmakers treat appropriations as leverage for partisan standoffs or as an afterthought delegated to continuing resolutions, Granger took the work seriously.
Kay Granger did not chase cameras. She wrote budgets, opened doors, and served her district for nearly three decades. Washington could use more of that, and it just lost one of the last members who proved it was possible.