Klobuchar says Feinstein must return to Senate soon as Democratic agenda stalls
Emily Jacobs
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said she is taking a wait-and-see approach on the issue of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) continued absence from the Senate.
Feinstein, who is the Senate’s oldest member at the age of 89, has been absent from the chamber since being diagnosed with shingles in February. Democrats only control the chamber by a 51-49 margin, meaning that one absence gives Republicans an opportunity to block President Joe Biden’s nominees and legislative efforts. After years of criticisms from those in her party that she was no longer up to the job, Feinstein said in February she wouldn’t seek reelection in 2024, though she vowed to serve out the remaining 20 months of her term.
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“I want to see what happens in the next month or so,” Klobuchar said when asked by CNN if Feinstein should resign.
“If she can’t come back month after month, with this close Senate, that’s not only going to hurt California, it’s going to become an issue for the country,” she said.
Feinstein has faced questions about her mental acuity for nearly half a decade, as story after story reported instances of her forgetting conversations with top lawmakers and staff. Some reports have described her not recognizing longtime colleagues that she had known for years. She revived those concerns when she appeared unaware that her office had sent out the press release announcing her Senate retirement.
Her absence has put the most strain on the Senate Judiciary Committee, a panel she led as the top Democrat until being pushed out in late 2020 after forgetting conversations she had with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) about her handling of then-Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearings.
The panel has been paralyzed as a result of Feinstein’s absence, which leaves Democrats without the necessary votes to advance Biden’s judicial nominees.
“I can’t consider nominees in these circumstances because a tie vote is a losing vote in committee,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), who took over as the chairman of the Judiciary Committee after Feinstein ceded the post, said Monday. “We still have some nominees left on the calendar that we can work on … but we have more in the wings that we would like to process.”
Tensions over Feinstein’s absence boiled over as it became clear this week that she would not return at the conclusion of Senate recess on Monday, with two House Democrats, including one from her home state, calling for her resignation. The lawmakers, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Dean Phillips (D-MN), said Tuesday in separate statements that while the longtime California lawmaker deserved praise for her storied political career, her health problems were affecting her ability to fulfill her duties.
Some Democrats came to Feinstein’s aid after the House lawmakers called on her to resign, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who both appeared to imply that sexism and political motivations were involved in the push to oust the veteran senator.
The two seemed to be referencing the absence of Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Khanna’s endorsement of Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) in the Democratic primary to fill Feinstein’s seat in 2024. Lee is polling behind Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Katie Porter (D-CA), but she is believed to be Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) front-runner to replace Feinstein were the senator to resign early. If Newsom were to appoint Lee, she would have the benefit of incumbency in her primary race and likely see a boost in the polls.
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Feinstein offered a compromise amid pressure over her absence on Wednesday, saying she would ask to be replaced on the Judiciary Committee until her return. Schumer said he would ask the Senate next week to allow another Democrat to serve on the panel, but the move will require Republican support, and it is unclear if the GOP will comply.
Klobuchar expressed concern that the move won’t be able to get bipartisan backing, telling CNN, “You need 60 votes, so we’re going to need 10 Republicans to go along with this. If history is any guide, I hope they will.”