Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on Wednesday said she wants to temporarily give up her seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee while she recovers from “continued complications” related to her shingles diagnosis earlier this year. Her announcement came just hours after her fellow California Democrat, Rep. Ro Khanna, called for her resignation.
“It’s time for @SenFeinstein to resign,” Khanna tweeted.
“We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty. While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties,” Khanna continued. “Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people.”
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Half an hour later, Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota publicly concurred on Twitter, calling it “a dereliction of duty” both for Feinstein to remain seated in the Senate, and for other lawmakers who agreed with him to stay silent.
Feinstein, 89, has been absent from the Senate for nearly two months since announcing her hospitalization for shingles, and missed 58 votes in that time. A member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is currently made up of 11 Democrats and 10 Republicans, Feinstein has missed so many votes that it has become increasingly difficult for Democrats to confirm President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees.
The California senator said on March 7 that she hoped to be back in the Senate “as soon as possible,” but did not immediately set a timeline for her return.
On Wednesday night, her office issued a statement explaining that her return to Washington had been “delayed due to continued complications related to my diagnosis.”
Regarding the impact of her absence on the Judiciary Committee, Feinstein said she’d asked Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve in her stead.
A spokesperson for Schumer’s office told The Washington Post that he would ask the Senate for a member to temporarily replace Feinstein next week.
“I intend to return as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it’s safe for me to travel,” she continued, saying that she will continue to work from home in San Francisco.
Just weeks before her hospitalization, Feinstein announced that she would not run for re-election in 2024. A number of candidates have already announced their intention to try and fill her seat, including Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), for whom Khanna serves as campaign co-chair, according to The Hill.
At 89, Feinstein is the oldest member of the Senate, and has displayed cognitive and memory issues that have provoked increasing concern among her colleagues in recent months.
