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Two fellow Democrats have said that Dianne Feinstein is no longer fit for service
The longest-serving US senator has asked to temporarily step down from a key committee after two of her colleagues urged her to do so.
Dianne Feinstein, 89, of California, said her return to Washington was delayed due to complications from shingles.
Last month, she revealed that she was in the hospital due to her health condition.
His absence has complicated President Joe Biden’s efforts to confirm the nomination of federal judges in the Senate, which has only a narrow Democratic majority.
And on Wednesday night, Ms. Feinstein’s office said she had asked the Senate to find her temporary replacement on the Judiciary Committee.
The statement was released after two of her fellow Democrats, Ro Khanna and Dean Phillips, said earlier in the day that Feinstein was no longer fit for service.
Mr. Khanna, R-Calif., tweeted that it was time for the longest-serving senator to step down.
He said, “We have to put the country before personal loyalty.”
“While she has enjoyed public service throughout her life, it is clear that she can no longer perform her duties.”
Mr. Phillips tweeted that he agreed with Mr. Khanna.
“I think it is a dereliction of duty now for you to remain in the Senate, and a dereliction of duty for those who agree to remain silent,” said the Minnesota congressman.
The statement from Ms. Feinstein’s office said she initially expected to return to Capitol Hill by the end of March.
But because of “ongoing complications” from shingles, she said she would work from her home in San Francisco until her medical team told her it was safe to travel.
Shingles is a virus that causes a painful, but not usually life-threatening, rash.
On the Judiciary Committee, the Democrats have an 11-10 advantage.
Feinstein announced in February that she would not run again in 2024.
Several Democrats – Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff – are already vying to succeed him.
Ms. Feinstein was the first woman mayor of San Francisco and the first woman to chair the Senate Intelligence Committee.
