Kay Granger climbed the House career ladder, only to see Congress go dysfunctional | Opinion

Rep. Kay Granger announced her retirement last fall — and it’s rightly deserved. Last week she said she’ll step down early as chair of the influential House Appropriations Committee, which made her one of the most powerful Texans in Congress.

For more than 14 terms, Granger fought hard for a place in Congress, earning the reputation as a trailblazing woman in Texas politics, the first female Republican elected to the House from the state and the first to lead the powerful committee that controls Congress’ purse strings. It’s unfortunate, though, that after working for decades to achieve the post, she had it so briefly, and in an era when Congress no longer affords as much power to committee leaders.

When Granger first started her career in Washington, the political atmosphere was beginning to shift. She saw the first Republican House majority in decades. But a 50/50 split was coming. Granger was the Appropriations Committee’s ranking member — the top leader of the minority party — since 2018 and enjoyed the chairwoman position for just one term.

The committee decides how much funding programs in nearly every government sector receive, from homeland security and the legislative branch to energy and water development. As a member for years, Granger was able to direct funding to vital national defense programs that provide jobs in Fort Worth.

Republicans have held power in the House by just a handful of seats the last couple terms. But even that didn’t help because Republicans themselves have been dedicated to fighting among each other for years. Some Republicans are part of the Freedom Caucus, others rage against the “uni-party,” while still others fancy themselves just average conservatives. They no longer align on important issues to convey strength or accomplish policy goals. And with so narrow a margin in the House, they can barely elect and keep a speaker in place.

The best example is the recent effort to pass a major border bill. After complaining about the problem for months, Republicans demanded Democrats exchange support for Ukraine with sweeping border security measures — something most Texas GOP representatives agree with, at least in theory. Still, not enough could throw their weight behind it, nitpicking at various provisions within the bill, and it failed entirely. Rather than negotiate a better bill, Republicans and many Democrats just left it behind. Rather than compromise, Republicans decided it was better to wait until the next election, when they hope to have a supermajority.

Since Granger has been in Congress, the country has seen mostly divided government. Gridlock like this has ensured that neither party rams its agenda through — which could be an unexpected blessing — but not when it comes to some aspects of the federal government, like simply keeping the government running. The deadline-driven approach to keep government open makes for last minute, massive spending bills, making it harder for appropriators to wield their influence.

Polls look good for Republicans to gain power in 2024, but it won’t matter for Granger. And yet, she was able to get some things done even in the current environment. In the most recent appropriations package put forth this month, Granger spearheaded efforts to cut wasteful spending and prioritized national security and defense spending, including bolstering funds to counter threats from China, developing advanced weaponry, and helping service members. We may be thankful for this in a few short years.

In her nearly three decades of service, Congress has shifted, and hardly evolved for good. House members often act like it’s the wild, wild, west in Washington — and not in a cool Texas way, either.

This isn’t a criticism of Granger. As we’ve said, she didn’t just look like she was fighting for us, she actually put the power she acquired into good use by passing business-friendly policies and pushing conservative priorities while maintaining friends on both sides of the aisle. As a woman representing Texas, Granger had to multitask and embrace a renaissance mindset understanding a plethora of issues this district was facing, from how to tackle crime and back national defense to how to protect and grow Texas’ economy.

It took many decades of dedication, hundreds of flights back and forth from Fort Worth to Washington, long hours, and lots of flak to get to where she helped other House members decide how much funding certain sectors receive. We just wish Congress, and especially House Republicans, could’ve gotten their own house in order more, so she could have done even more of what she wanted in such an incredible position.