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Said Kay Granger last year at the time she announced she would not seek reelection: “The United States of America is the greatest country in the world because of our people and the vision of our Founding Fathers who created a nation that ensures every man, woman and child has the opportunity to succeed.”
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) will step down early as chair of the House Appropriations Committee, she announced in a letter to Republican leadership Friday.
The chairmanship is one of the most powerful positions in Congress. The Appropriations Committee sets funding levels every year for a number of government programs.
Granger, 81, has been the top Republican on the committee since 2019. She was the first Republican woman to lead the committee.
Granger, the longest-serving Republican in the Texas delegation, announced last year that she would not seek reelection in 2024, ending a career in Congress that spanned 27 years.
“Recognizing that an election year often results in final appropriations bills not getting enacted until well into the next fiscal year, it is important that I do everything in my power to ensure a seamless transition before the [fiscal 2025] bill development begins in earnest,” Granger wrote.
Granger said she would remain chairwoman until the Republican Steering Committee, which determines committee assignments for the conference, selects a new chair. She said she plans to remain on the committee as an emerita chair, offering advice to the next head of the committee.
Speculation on her successors to the committee immediately centered on Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), chair of the Rules Committee, and Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.).
The announcement arrived just the House Appropriations Committee begins work on next year’s appropriations bills following arm wrestling to get this year’s bill past.
This year’s bill funds several initiatives pivotal to Texas and Granger’s District 12, including 86 new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters built and assembled in the district.
Supports over 17 suppliers that represent over 49,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The bill also funds the development, modernization, and engine enhancement of the F-35 aircraft produced locally in Fort Worth, among other things:
- Continues support for the Army’s Future Long Range Attack Aircraft (FLRAA) and provides six additional Navy V-22s worth $675 million, supporting an extensive Bell Textron presence in the Fort Worth area.
- In the Fort Worth-Dallas, there are 15 suppliers and vendors who support the production, engineering, and manufacturing of the V-22 Osprey and the V-280 Valor.
- Provides the Army with a $160 million increase for Enhanced Night Vision Goggles and a $10.5 million increase for the Navy’s Sonobuoy modernization and development efforts, supporting an extensive Elbit Systems of America presence in the metroplex.
- The bill also funds the largest increase in basic military pay in more than 20 years — 5.2%.
As it concerns the border, the bill increases funds to focus on border enforcement, which includes funding for 22,000 Border Patrol agents and $125 million for increases in overtime pay. It also provides a 20% increase for border security technology.
The bill also includes other initiatives in District 12, including:
- Provides $808,000 for the City of Aledo’s wastewater treatment plant expansion, which will mitigate public health risks associated with over loaded treatment facilities.
- Provides $3.2 million for the Southeast Downtown Transit Operations and Streetscape Design project, which will be used to make key improvements in downtown Fort Worth.
- Provides $5 million for the expansion of the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth meeting space, serving students and adults in four communities and four independent school districts.
- Provides $3 million for the Tarrant Area Food Bank to expand capacity, supporting families facing hunger, producers, and other food banks.
“In this legislation, Republicans curbed wasteful spending, provided border enforcement funding, and continued to provide our Armed Services with the critical resources they need to defend America,” Granger said in a statement. “As I have done since my first day in Congress, I will always advocate for the needs of the families in TX-12 and work to support the economic engines in North Texas.”