89-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has long faced questions about her advanced age and its impact on her ability to govern effectively.
But she saw these questions gain a new urgency after her hospitalization for shingles around March 7.
Now, she’s stepping back from her senatorial duties… and asked her boss to replace her indefinitely.
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California asked Wednesday to be replaced on the Judiciary Committee, shortly after two House Democrats called on her to resign after her extended absence from Washington.
In a statement, the long-serving Democratic senator said her recovery from a case of shingles she disclosed in early March had been delayed because of complications. She said she’d already asked Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to serve in her committee seat until she was able to return.
Feinstein described the substitute as temporary… but she provided no date for her return to the Senate.
“I intend to return as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it’s safe for me to travel,” Feinstein said. “In the meantime, I remain committed to the job and will continue to work from home in San Francisco.”
Feinstein’s decision to seek a committee stand-in during her recovery comes amid increasing anxiety within her party that her lengthy absence has damaged Democratic efforts to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominees for federal courts in a narrowly divided chamber.
She has already stepped away from other senatorial duties. As the most senior member of the Senate’s majority party, Feinstein was set to become the chamber’s president pro tempore. Yet, in December, Feinstein declined the role, leaving it for the second-most senior Democrat in the Senate.
California Rep. Ro Khanna, one of two Democratic House members who called Wednesday for Feinstein to resign, said in a statement Wednesday: “This is a moment of crisis for women’s rights and voting rights. It’s unacceptable to have Sen. Feinstein miss vote after vote to confirm judges who will uphold reproductive rights.”
Khanna — a far-Left Democrat representing California’s Silicon Valley — wrote that Feinstein should immediately resign as senator. She announced in February that she would not seek reelection in 2024, opening up her seat for the first time in over 30 years.
“We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty,” wrote Khanna, who has endorsed the Senate campaign of Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee. “While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties.”
Khanna was once mentioned as a possible contender for Senate in 2024, but last month he announced his decision not to run.
The senator will turn 90 in June, and she ranks as the oldest member of Congress. Despite numerous reports of a serious mental decline, she has defended her effectiveness in representing a state that is home to nearly 40 million people.
Already, Democratic Reps. Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff have launched Senate campaigns to succeed Feinstein.
If Feinstein decides to step down during her term, it would be up to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill the vacancy, potentially reordering the highly competitive race.
Newsom declined through a spokesperson to comment on Khanna’s statement.
“The governor is not calling on her to resign,” the spokesman, Anthony York, said in an email.
Before the calls for her resignation, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, acknowledged in remarks to CNN that Feinstein’s absence has slowed down their push to confirm nominees in the closely divided panel.
“I can’t consider nominees in these circumstances because a tie vote is a losing vote in committee,” Durbin said.
Others Democrats say they respect Feinstein’s past while still calling for her immediate resignation.
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., tweeted that he agreed with Khanna’s call for Feinstein to resign.
Feinstein, he wrote, “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.”
Given her request for a replacement, Feinstein seems to agree.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.