The California Senator is having trouble keeping up.
According to a report from Breitbart News, 89-year-old Golden State Senator Dianne Feinstein is facing calls to step down from her position —from her own party. Feinstein has been absent from Washington for over a month recovering from shingles.
From Breitbart News:
Feinstein, 89, has been home recovering from shingles for more than a month, which has caused her to miss dozens of floor votes and hold up Democrats’ approval of President Joe Biden’s pending judicial nominees.
The nominees must pass through the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is currently split dead evenly between Republicans and Democrats while Feinstein is away.
On Wednesday, fellow Californian Rep. Ro Khanna was the first congressional Democrat to call for Feinstein to step down, saying in a statement, “It is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties.”
Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, another Democrat, soon chimed in that he agreed with Khanna.
“Senator Feinstein is a remarkable American whose contributions to our country are immeasurable,” Phillips wrote. “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.”
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. https://t.co/lvaHhLJYsi
— Rep. Dean Phillips 🇺🇸 (@RepDeanPhillips) April 12, 2023
Feinstein has asked Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to temporarily relieve her of committee assignments —but as MSNBC points out, it’s not that simple:
Watch the clip below:
.@SenFeinstein, absent for the last two months, is facing calls from some Democrats to resign. She says she's willing to temporarily give up her seat on Judiciary Cmte so Biden's judges aren't hindered.
Schumer says he'll try.
But it's not so simple. Dems will need GOP consent. pic.twitter.com/FFCHaDALVY
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) April 13, 2023