Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is en route back to Washington, D.C., to make a return to the Senate for the first time in months amid calls from several members of her own party to resign, a spokesperson for the senator confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
Feinstein is set to return to the Senate floor to cast a vote on Wednesday, her first recorded vote since Feb. 16, before the five-term senator stepped away due to health problems. The California senator’s office has long teased a return to the upper chamber, with many congressional Democrats growing restless over her absence stalling their agenda.
DURBIN REJECTS FEINSTEIN’S ASSERTION THAT HER ABSENCE IS NOT AFFECTING SENATE
Some Democrats went so far as to call on Feinstein to resign from the Senate due to her prolonged absence, accusing her of clogging up judicial nominations and costing the party some key votes. That list included names such as Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Dean Phillips (D-MN).
Feinstein pushed back on arguments that her absence was slowing down work in the Senate, pointing to seven nominees the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced last week.
“There has been no slowdown,” Feinstein wrote in a statement last week. “I’m confident that when I return to the Senate, we will be able to move the remaining qualified nominees out of committee quickly and to the Senate floor for a vote.”
However, other Democrats were angry after Feinstein’s absence handed the Republicans a victory last month once they successfully voted to cancel an Environmental Protection Agency mandate that sought to tighten regulations on nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emitted from heavy-duty vehicles. The bill narrowly passed the Senate with a 50-49 vote, with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) joining all Republicans backing the measure — prompting anger among some Democrats who say Feinstein’s presence would’ve tanked the GOP effort.
A handful of female lawmakers on both sides of the aisle came to Feinstein’s defense, denouncing calls for her resignation as sexist and ageist.
“If it were a dude, would they be saying you need to step down, or you need to recuse yourself from a committee?” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said.
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Feinstein has not issued a statement regarding her return to the Capitol, but the news of her return was met with cheers from several of her Democratic colleagues.
“I’m glad that my friend Dianne is back in the Senate and ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Tuesday. “After talking with her multiple times over the past few weeks, it’s clear she’s back where she wants to be and ready to deliver for California.”
