Dianne Feinstein, 89, arrives at Congress in a wheelchair after not suffering from shingles: The ailing Democratic senator says she’s still suffering from side effects and will be on a shorter schedule when she finally returns to work
- Dianne Feinstein returned to the Senate on Wednesday
- She looked frail and pale as she was helped out of her car
- Chuck Schumer was by her side as she was wheeled into the Senate room
Sen. Dianne Feinstein arrived in the Senate in a wheelchair on Wednesday and said she was having to work on a shorter schedule due to the side effects of shingles.
A car drove them to the entrance of the Capitol building. The 89-year-old Democratic senator from California looked frail, weak and pale as aides helped her. Her left eye was closed.
Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer walked at her side as an aide wheeled her into the Senate.
“Hello everyone,” Feinstein said as she entered the building.
Senator Dianne Feinstein arrives at the US Capitol
Feinstein was absent for nearly three months and missed nearly 100 votes due to shingles.
Side effects include persistent pain known as post-herpetic neuralgia, painful eye infections that can lead to vision loss, facial paralysis, or hearing or balance problems, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Feinstein has been urged to resign — even by her Democratic compatriots — amid health concerns and fears her absence could delay judges’ confirmations of President Joe Biden. She sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which holds the confirmation hearings.
She has refused to resign. Several female lawmakers supported her, calling it sexist to ask Feinstein — a pioneering female lawmaker — to resign while many white men have served in the Senate until their deaths.
Feinstein flew on a private plane from California – where she was relaxing at her home in San Francisco – to Washington DC on Tuesday night.
She said doctors advised her to take a shorter schedule as she was still suffering from side effects.
“Although I’ve made significant progress and been able to return to Washington, I still have some side effects from the shingles virus.” “My doctors have advised me to follow a shorter schedule when I return to the Senate,” she said in a statement.
Last month, Feinstein asked to be temporarily replaced on the Judiciary Committee after being asked to resign by her own party.
Republicans in the tightly divided Senate rejected the motion, saying Democrats only want a proxy to push through Biden’s most partisan judge nominations.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer welcomed Senator Dianne Feinstein on her return
“Hello everyone,” Feinstein said as she entered the building
Senator Dianne Feinstein returned to the Senate after a nearly three-month absence
Senator Dianne Feinstein is escorted through the Capitol by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
Feinstein has stated that she will not seek re-election in 2024.
The race to replace her is already hotly contested as several Democrats are running to fill a Senate seat that hasn’t been vacant in 30 years, including Representatives Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff and Katie Porter.
There are concerns that if Feinstein resigns, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who must nominate someone to fill his term, could turn the race on her head by naming someone already running for the seat.
He has said he would appoint a black woman to the post. Rep. Lee is black.
And Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who has led the recent round of calls for Feinstein’s resignation, backed Lee in the primary to succeed Feinstein.
California has a jungle primary, which means the top two winners, regardless of party, advance to the general election. That means the heavily democratic state could have two Democrats running in the November 2024 elections.