The current state of the United States Congress is nowhere near what the Founding Fathers had in mind. The idea was that people would go to Washington, D.C. to represent the people of their district or state for a term or two. Then they returned home to give someone else a chance to serve who may have fresh ideas, and also so those returning would now be forced to live under the laws they enacted. That is clearly not what is happening today. In Texas, one Congresswoman went missing; the place where she turned up will make you despise the swamp even more.
The missing Congresswoman in question is Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), who represents Texas' 12th Congressional District, which includes the Fort Worth area west of Dallas in Tarrant County. Granger's last known vote in the House appears to be in July when she voted "no" on HR8998, a bill that would reduce the salary of Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticides Program Ya-Wei (Jake) Lee to $1. Since then, she has no recorded votes.
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A local Dallas area newspaper decided to get to the bottom of the mystery. They called both her district and Washington D.C. offices, and the call went directly to voicemail, asking that callers leave a name, number, and message. A reporter from the paper then went to Granger's district office and found it locked up with no employees inside and a window in the front door covered. When employees of the building where the office is located were asked about Granger's office, they stated that they packed up and closed the office before Thanksgiving. At this point, the mystery of the missing Congresswoman might make a bit of sense, as Granger was retiring at the end of the Congressional session. Did she want to get started on packing early before the holidays?
If only that were the case. Here is where things take a disturbing turn. The newspaper discovered that Rep. Granger was now the resident of a local memory care and assisted living home and had been for some time after she was found confused and wandering around her neighborhood. Assistant Executive Director for the memory care/assisted living home, Taylor Manzeil, confirmed that Granger was a resident, saying, "This is her home."
Bo French is the Tarrant County Republican Chairman. He stated the obvious about this crucial time for Republicans in Congress, who need every vote.
“The lack of representation for CD-12 is troubling to say the least. At a time when extraordinarily important votes are happening, including 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."
Granger's constituents are also concerned about Granger's absence in Washington. But the biggest question is, why has this situation gone on as long as it has, with no one appearing to notice or even care?
It appears that this is just another example of those in Washington on both sides of the aisle hanging onto power until they are literally incapable of doing so. It is exactly the kind of thing that the American people clearly said in November they are tired of. My colleague, Teri Christoph, recently reported on a Wall Street Journal report detailing the fact that Joe Biden's mental condition was even worse than what Americans were witnessing for themselves. Earlier this month, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) fell during a GOP lunch. McConnell, 82, sustained a cut on his face and a sprained wrist. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 84, recently fell and broke her hip, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, passed away while still in office.
Meanwhile, in Texas, Congresswoman Granger and her staff get a "vacation," courtesy of the taxpayers, until the new Congress is sworn in on January 3, and the residents of District 12 have no representation. Americans don't really care which side of the aisle the Swamp tales are coming from; they just want them to end.
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