Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) is stepping down from her role as chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee just hours after the chamber passed the final spending deal for fiscal 2024.
Granger wrote in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Friday that she is requesting that the GOP Steering Committee and Conference select a new appropriations chairperson “as soon as possible.”
The Texas Republican announced last November that she would not be seeking reelection in 2024. She said in her letter on Friday that she will remain on the appropriations committee for the rest of her time in Congress.
“As I reflect on my time in the House of Representatives and more than five years as Ranking Member and now Chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, I realize I have accomplished more than I ever could have imagined,” Granger wrote in her letter.
She took note that an election year “often results in final appropriations bills not getting enacted until well into the next fiscal year,” so she said, “It is important that I do everything in my power to ensure a seamless transition” for the chairperson in charge of fiscal 2025.
Johnson praised Granger, who is the first Republican woman to chair the Appropriations Committee, in a post to X on Friday afternoon, calling her a “trailblazer.”
“Kay Granger has been a champion for Texas and a faithful public servant for the people of the 12th District for nearly three decades,” the speaker said. “She has certainly been a loyal friend and encourager to me since I came to Congress.”
Other Republicans congratulated Granger on her years in Congress and in leadership following the announcement that she would be stepping down. Granger, 80, has represented Texas’s 12th Congressional District since 1997.
“It is bittersweet news to learn that my longtime friend and chair, Chairwoman Kay Granger, is stepping down from her role as the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee,” Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said in a statement. “Throughout her long and distinguished career on the Committee, she has truly been a trusted leader and friend to my colleagues and me as we have worked to responsibly fund the government year after year.”
Cole could be one of a handful of House GOP members considered to replace Granger. Sources told Axios that the Oklahoma congressman is the front-runner to take over the chairmanship.
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Granger’s decision to step down comes after she successfully negotiated with her Senate counterparts the final six appropriations bills that were passed in the House on Friday. However, the deal was met with strong opposition from hard-line conservatives, particularly the House Freedom Caucus, who said that the bill was “not a piece of Republican legislation.”
Ultimately, 112 Republicans voted against the spending bill, so Johnson did not receive a majority of GOP support for the legislation.
