Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who has been away from the Senate since February while recovering from shingles, will return to Washington on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson.
She has been recovering in San Francisco.
Feinstein said in April that her return to Washington had been “delayed due to continued complications related to my diagnosis” but said she planned to return to the Senate “as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it’s safe for me to travel.”
During her absence, the 89-year-old California senator faced pressure to return to Washington and calls from several House Democrats to resign. Feinstein sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and without her vote on the panel, Democrats said that they would have to delay some of President Biden’s key judicial nominees.
In April, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California became the first member of Congress to call on Feinstein to resign.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she believes Feinstein “should retire.” The New York Democrat posted on the social media platform Bluesky, “Her refusal to either retire or show up is causing great harm to the judiciary.”
During her absence, Feinstein pushed back on the criticism, arguing that there had not been a significant delay in advancing and confirming judicial nominees.
In April, the California senator asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to temporarily replace her on the Judiciary Committee, and he proposed that Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin take her spot. But Senate Republicans blocked the effort, saying the move would allow judicial nominees they opposed to advance.
The committee’s top GOP member, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, said at the time, “She’s a dear friend, and we hope for her speedy recovery and return back to the Senate. (But) with all due…
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