Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic senator who is the oldest member of the upper chamber of the US Congress, said she plans on serving out her term despite growing calls for her to resign.
Feinstein, 89, has not voted in Congress since February, and has been away from Capitol Hill after being hospitalized for shingles treatment in March. “I intend to return as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it’s safe for me to travel. In the meantime, I remain committed to the job and will continue to work from home in San Francisco,” she said.
The statement comes after the Democratic representative Ro Khanna tweeted on Wednesday: “It’s time for @SenFeinstein to resign. 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. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people,” he added.
Another Democratic representative, Dean Phillips of Minnesota, echoed Khanna, saying, “I agree with @RoKhanna. Senator Feinstein is a remarkable American whose contributions to our country are immeasurable. But I believe it’s now a dereliction of duty to remain in the Senate and a dereliction of duty for those who agree to remain quiet.”
Khanna’s tweet came amid multiple calls for the senator to resign as her declining health has resulted in her missing approximately three-quarters of all Senate votes this year.
Because Democrats have a slim two-vote majority in the Senate, Feinstein’s absence has delayed the approval of Joe Biden’s judicial nominees. “I understand that my absence could delay the important work of the judiciary committee,” Feinstein said on Wednesday, adding that she had asked the Senate leader to allow another Democratic senator to temporally fill in while she recovers.
Earlier this week, Jon Lovett, a former speechwriter for former president Barack Obama, also called on Feinstein to resign.
“There’s been a lot of reporting about Dianne Feinstein no longer being fit to serve in the Senate representing the biggest state in this country. She is currently out for shingles. That is sad. That is obviously not her fault,” Lovett said on his podcast.
“But because she is not in the judiciary committee, [Democratic Illinois Senator Dick Durbin] has said that it has made it basically impossible to move a lot of these lower court nominees to the Senate for a vote, which means that Dianne Feinstein, who should not be in the Senate, is now preventing us from being able to confirm judges,” Lovett added.
The majority leader, Chuck Schumer, said in a statement on Wednesday night that he will ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve on the judiciary committee, “per Senator Feinstein’s wishes”.
Last month, Feinstein announced that she will not seek re-election next year following concerns surrounding her mental fitness and her diagnosis with shingles in late February.
Before her diagnosis, Feinstein had missed two votes in the Senate this year. According to Newsweek, Feinstein has missed an additional 58 votes since 7 March, in turn missing 60 of the 82 votes taken in the Senate so far this year.
