The recent report that Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), 81, was found last week in an assisted living facility raised concern among some lawmakers about aging officials who refuse to leave office.
Granger, chairwoman emeritus of the Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for all federal discretionary spending, was absent during last week’s spending fight, leaving fellow lawmakers wondering about her whereabouts and raising questions about the lack of congressional term limits.
“Sadly, you know, some of these members wait until it’s too long, til things have gone too far,” Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) told CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “I think this goes–gets back to the root of it. Congress should do its job, and if you can’t do your job, maybe you shouldn’t be there.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) believes Granger’s situation “reveals the problem with a Congress that rewards seniority & relationships more than merit & ideas.”
“We need term limits,” he posted on X. “We need to get big money out of politics so a new generation of Americans can run and serve.”
“I’m trying to set a better example,” outgoing Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH), 68, told the Boston Globe. “I think there are colleagues — and some of whom are still very successful and very productive — but others who just stay forever.”
Granger is just one of the lawmakers who are in their eighties.
Some of the oldest members of Congress are:
- Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 83
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), 83
- Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), 81
- Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), 81
- Sen. Angus King (I-ME), 80
- Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), 80
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), 78
- Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), 78
- Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), 77
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), 84
- Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY), 86
- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) – 86
- Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) – 85
- Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA), 88
Older lawmakers sometimes have health conditions.
Sen. Mitch McConnell appeared to freeze twice in recent months. He fell this December and appeared battered and bruised on his face. Days later, Nancy Pelosi fell and broke her hip, forcing her to have surgery and miss the votes on committee assignments.
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter with Breitbart News and a former RNC War Room Analyst. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell on “X” @WendellHusebø or on Truth Social @WendellHusebo.
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