FORT WORTH — Former U.S. Representative Kay Granger died on Sunday, August 2, 2026, at the age of 83. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced her death in a post on X.

Granger served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 28 years, representing Texas's 12th congressional district from 1997 to 2025. She was first elected to the chamber in 1996, defeating former Fort Worth Mayor Hugh Parmer by nearly 17 percentage points.

Her path to Congress began with local government roles in Fort Worth. Granger graduated from Texas Wesleyan University in 1965 and worked as a high school teacher in the Birdville school district for nine years, teaching English literature and journalism. She also worked in the insurance business for more than two decades before entering politics.

Granger began her political career in 1981 when she was appointed to the Fort Worth Zoning Commission. She was elected to the Fort Worth City Council in 1989. In 1991, she became the first woman to serve as Mayor of Fort Worth, holding the office until 1995.

In Washington, Granger chaired the House Committee on Appropriations from 2023 to 2024. She was the first Republican woman to hold that position. She served as the top Republican on the committee from 2018 to 2024. During her tenure, she was part of the first group of four women to lead the House and Senate appropriations panels, alongside Senators Patty Murray and Susan Collins and Representative Rosa DeLauro.

Granger was a longtime proponent of the F-35 fighter jet program. Her final months in office were marked by health challenges. She did not cast a vote in the House after July 2024.

In December 2024, an office release stated that she was navigating health challenges that made frequent travel to Washington difficult and unpredictable since early September 2024. Her son, J.D. Granger, stated that she was experiencing dementia issues.

Granger announced in November 2023 that she would not seek re-election. She stepped down as chair of the House Appropriations Committee in March 2024.

Colleagues from both parties issued statements following the announcement of her death. U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro noted their shared history on the appropriations panel. "Throughout our years serving together on the Appropriations Committee, we worked through difficult challenges with mutual respect and honesty. At every step of her career, she 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, DeLauro said."

DeLauro also pointed to Granger's specific role in defense spending. Congresswoman Granger was the first woman to sit on and serve as chair of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee," she said."

Granger's career represented a series of firsts for women in Republican politics and federal appropriations. As the first Republican woman elected to represent Texas in the U.S. House and the first to chair the House Appropriations Committee, she altered the demographic composition of leadership in those bodies. Her ascension to the chairmanship placed her among a small group of women leading the powerful spending panels in Congress.

The House Appropriations Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives with jurisdiction over federal spending. Granger's leadership role meant she influenced budget decisions for national defense and domestic programs during her final term. Her departure from the chairmanship in March 2024 and subsequent absence from voting after July 2024 marked the end of an era for the seniority-based leadership structure she had navigated for nearly three decades.

Why It Matters

Granger's career established a precedent for women in Republican leadership, marking the first time a Republican woman chaired the House Appropriations Committee or represented Texas in the U.S. House. Her tenure altered the demographic composition of federal spending oversight, placing her among the first group of four women to lead congressional appropriations panels simultaneously. This shift expanded the range of backgrounds influencing budget decisions for national defense and domestic programs during her 28 years in office.