'Gone too far': Congress reacts to GOP rep running district from assisted living facility

This weekend, a Dallas-based conservative activist discovered that Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) was representing her constituents from an assisted-living facility and that the octogenarian congresswoman had reportedly been battling dementia. That news has rattled Congress, with members on both sides of the aisle calling for changes.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Granger's absence — who hadn't cast a vote in the House of Representatives since July — rattled members of the House Republican Conference as much as it did members of the Democratic minority. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said he didn't know his Lone Star State colleague was in an assisted living facility until it was widely reported in the media.

“I think there’s no doubt a lot of us knew that she was gaining in age, like a lot of members do,” Gonzales told CBS' Face the Nation. “And, sadly, some of these members wait until it’s too long — things have gone too far.”

READ MORE: Experts stunned by report of GOP rep allegedly found in dementia facility

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has not yet commented publicly on Granger's absence, but Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) shared the news of Granger on his X account with a comment of his own that he was "more concerned about the congressmen who have dementia and are still voting." However, the Post noted that Massie did not reveal which members he was referring to.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, tweeted over the weekend that the revelations about Granger should be a wake-up call that changes how Congress conducts business. He likened Congress' problem to a "sclerotic gerontocracy [rule by the elderly]" and lamented that the House of Representatives "rewards seniority & relationships more than merit & ideas."

"We need term limits," Khanna wrote. "We need to get big money out of politics so a new generation of Americans can run and serve."

Granger, who has served in Congress since 1997, was the first Republican woman Texas elected to the House of Representatives and announced her retirement earlier this year. In a statement issued over the weekend, the longtime congresswoman acknowledged that she had been experiencing "unforeseen health challenges" and thanked her staff for delivering "exceptional constituent services" over the years.

READ MORE: Retiring Rep. Kay Granger discloses 'health challenges' after congressional absences

Click here to read the Post's report in its entirety (subscription required).