LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who has faced calls to resign from fellow Democrats, asked Wednesday to be temporarily replaced on the Judiciary Committee while she recovers from illness that has kept her away from Washington for weeks.
Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress at 89, said in a statement that her she disclosed in early March had been delayed because of complications. She provided no date for her return and said she had requested that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to serve in her committee seat until she was able to return.
鈥淚 intend to return as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it鈥檚 safe for me to travel," Feinstein said. 鈥淚n the meantime, I remain committed to the job and will continue to work from home in San Francisco.鈥
Feinstein's lengthy absence has caused increasing anxiety within her party because it has threatened Democratic efforts to confirm President Joe Biden鈥檚 nominees for federal courts in a narrowly divided chamber. Her decision to seek a committee stand-in during her recovery came shortly after two House Democrats called on her to resign after her extended absence from Washington.
In recent years, Feinstein has faced questions in recent years about her cognitive health and memory, though she has defended her effectiveness representing a state that is home to nearly 40 million people.
California Rep. Ro Khanna, one of two Democratic House members who called Wednesday for Feinstein to resign, said in a statement: 鈥淭his 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.鈥
Khanna, a California progressive, that Feinstein should step aside. She announced in February that she opening up her seat for the first time in over 30 years.
鈥淲e need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty,鈥 wrote Khanna, who has endorsed the Senate campaign of Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee. 鈥淲hile she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties.鈥
Not long afterward, Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota .
Feinstein, he wrote, 鈥渋s a remarkable American whose contributions to our country are immeasurable. But I believe it鈥檚 now a dereliction of duty to remain in the Senate and a dereliction of duty for those who agree to remain quiet.鈥
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday from Ireland, where President Joe Biden was visiting, that Biden and first lady Jill Biden 鈥渨ish Senator Feinstein the very best and a speedy recovery.鈥 She said Biden is 鈥渄eeply appreciative of her support鈥 for his judicial nominees and "respects and appreciates her commitment to public service.鈥
Already, Democratic Reps. , and 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 said in 2021 that he would nominate a Black woman to fill the seat if Feinstein were to step aside.
Lee is Black, and becoming the incumbent could be a decisive advantage in the contest, but it鈥檚 not known if Newsom would consider Lee, given her candidacy. Porter and Schiff are white.
Newsom declined through a spokesperson to comment on Khanna's statement.
鈥淭he governor is not calling on her to resign,鈥 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鈥檚 absence has slowed down their push to confirm nominees in the closely divided panel.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 consider nominees in these circumstances because a tie vote is a losing vote in committee,鈥 Durbin said.
Feinstein has had a groundbreaking political career and shattered gender barriers from San Francisco鈥檚 City Hall to the corridors of Capitol Hill.
She was the first woman to serve as president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the 1970s and the first female mayor of San Francisco. She ascended to that post after the November 1978 assassinations of then-Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk by a former supervisor, Dan White. Feinstein found Milk鈥檚 body.
In the Senate, she was the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first woman to serve as the Judiciary Committee鈥檚 top Democrat. She gained a reputation as a pragmatic centrist who left a mark on political battles over issues ranging from reproductive rights to environmental protection.
