Amid concerns about her health, Sen. Dianne Feinstein has, thus far, resisted calls to step down.
The California Democrat, who is the oldest member of the Senate at 89, has missed more than a month of Senate business after being diagnosed with shingles, but that has left Democratic senators — and the millions of voters who gave them control of the Senate — without key votes needed on legislation and, perhaps more significantly, on judicial appointments.
With Democrats holding a one-vote majority on the powerful Judiciary Committee, a panel on which Feinstein sits and once led, her absence has slowed the appointment process severely.
On Wednesday, multiple Democrats publicly called for Feinstein to step down. That includes Rep. Ro Khanna, a fellow Californian.
Rep. Dean Philips of Minnesota echoed Khanna.
So, seemingly in an effort to quiet such calls, Feinstein officially requested that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer appoint someone to temporarily serve in her place on the Judiciary Committee. She wrote:
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.
I understand that my absence could delay the important work of the Judiciary Committee, so I’ve asked Leader Schumer to ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve until I’m able to resume my committee work.
A spokesperson for Schumer said the majority leader would ask the Senate next week to allow another Democratic senator to serve on the Judiciary Committee temporarily.
But appointing a replacement requires 60 votes in the Senate, meaning Schumer will need to get some Republicans to agree to enable Democrats to resume appointing the judges they want in lifetime positions. And there’s understandable doubt that Republicans will agree to do that.
Therein lies the tension.
Feinstein has said she plans to retire at the…
Read the full article here