U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, the retiring Fort Worth Republican who has been frequently absent from Congress for months, said in a statement Sunday she has been facing “health challenges.”

Two weeks before the 119th U.S. Congress began, a story began to circulate online that U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, a Republican from Texas who had missed votes since July 2024, had been "found" in a dementia care facility. For example, the conservative X account Libs of TikTok posted the rumor on Dec. 21, 2024 ( archived ):

Her announcement followed a report by a conservative publication that said she had missed votes since late July.