Klobuchar says Feinstein ‘better’ make a decision on returning ‘before the debt ceiling vote’
Jack Birle
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) says that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) should make her decision on whether she will return to the Senate before the looming debt ceiling vote.
Klobuchar, who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on ABC’s This Week that Feinstein “made the right decision” to step away from the powerful committee while she is away from the Senate.
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“I think she made the right decision to step off the Judiciary Committee. I serve on that committee. And we cannot advance judges or legislation with a missing person because of the close votes. So basically, in the next week or so, you’re going to see Sen. Schumer, probably sooner than later, putting forward a name, and then the Senate, as they’ve done in the past, can vote to put this person on unanimously,” Klobuchar said.
The Minnesota Democrat says she is taking Feinstein’s word that she will return but also indicated that if Feinstein continues to push her return date back then she should have a conversation about stepping away from the Senate.
“Many people have been out for periods of time when they’re sick, and they have come back. In this case, we are going to need your vote on the Senate floor eventually. We have things like the debt ceiling coming up. We need to take her at her word, she is recovering from shingles, and make sure she comes back,” Klobuchar said.
“If this goes on month after month after month, she will need to make a decision with her family and her friends about what the future holds. This isn’t just about California. It’s also about the nation. We just can’t, with a one-vote margin, expect every other person to be there every single time. It could become an issue as the months go by, but I’m taking her at her word that she’s going to return,” Klobuchar added.
When asked about Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-CA) calls for Feinstein to resign, Klobuchar doubled down on the precedent of ill senators returning after they recover but also said that she “sure better” make a decision on if she will return before the debt ceiling vote.
“If months down the road you get to that decision point. But right now, she said she’s going to return. Let’s make sure that happens. It sure better happen before the debt ceiling vote,” Klobuchar said.
Feinstein, 89, has been away from the Senate recovering from shingles for much of the Senate’s current term, missing 60 of the 82 votes taken in the Senate this year. She was released from the hospital last month but remains in California as she recovers.
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Feinstein has already said she will not seek another term for her Senate seat, which she was first elected to in 1992. The race for her seat in 2024 is set to be a fierce battle between Golden State Democrats.
If she were to resign, it would mean Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) would get to appoint a replacement until an election is held for the seat. Newsom appointed Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) to fill the vacancy left by then-Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) when she resigned to become vice president in 2021.