Kay Granger, Texas' first Republican woman in Congress, has died at 83.
Why it matters: Granger spent nearly 30 years shaping House spending fights and GOP budget strategy. Her death removes a notable institutional figure from the modern Republican story in Texas and Washington.
- AP and her son J.D. Granger said she died on Sunday at age 83.
- She was the first Republican woman from Texas elected to the U.S. House.
- Granger served nearly three decades in Congress and chaired the House Appropriations Committee in 2023-24.
- She was also the first woman elected mayor of Fort Worth, serving from 1991 to 1995.
Kay Granger, a longtime Fort Worth Republican who became one of the most influential appropriators in the House, died Sunday at 83, according to AP and her son, J.D. Granger.
Granger was the first Republican woman from Texas elected to Congress and served nearly three decades in the House. In 2023, when Republicans controlled the chamber, she became chair of the House Appropriations Committee and pushed for steeper non-defense spending cuts than the levels negotiated by Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden.
AP said Granger also focused heavily on defense spending on the committee, including support for production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in Fort Worth. She was first elected to the House in 1996 after becoming the first woman elected mayor of Fort Worth, where she served from 1991 to 1995.
Granger's office said in December 2024 that she had been navigating unforeseen health challenges for more than a year, and that travel to Washington had become difficult and unpredictable since early September 2024. AP reported that she did not cast a vote in Washington after July 2024. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Granger helped "break barriers for women in public service" and called her "a dear friend who will be greatly missed."
By the numbers
- 83 - Granger's age at death
- Nearly 30 years - her time in Congress
- 1991-1995 - her tenure as mayor of Fort Worth
Yes, but: The AP report did not provide an exact place or cause of death.