Kay Granger, first Republican woman to lead House Appropriations Committee, dies at 83

Kay Granger, a Texas Republican and trailblazer for women in public service, has died at 83, her son confirmed, after previously announcing she would not seek re-election in 2023.

Kay Granger, a Texas ​Republican who was the first woman ​from her party to ‌chair the ​U.S. House of Representatives' powerful Appropriations Committee, has died, her son J.D. Granger confirmed to Reuters on ‌Sunday. She was 83. No cause of death was given. Kay Granger in 2024 said she was battling "unforeseen health challenges."

Granger represented her Texas district in Congress from ‌1997 to 2025. In 2023, Granger announced she would not seek re-election to ‌the U.S. House of Representatives. In her final term as a lawmaker, Granger chaired the House Appropriations Committee for more than a year, putting her in charge of spending legislation and ⁠making ​her one of ⁠the most influential members of Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson praised Granger as a trailblazer. "Throughout her ⁠career, she broke barriers for women in public service," Johnson said, noting that she was ​the first female mayor of Fort Worth and the first Republican woman ⁠elected to represent Texas in the U.S. House. She was the first Republican woman to lead ⁠the ​budget panel, although two Democratic women, Representatives Nita Lowey and Rosa DeLauro, preceded Granger in the role.

"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 in a statement ‌on Sunday.