Dianne Feinstein, 89, arrives at convention in a wheelchair after being absent from shingles
- Dianne Feinstein returned to the Senate on Wednesday
- She looked weak and pale as she was helped out of her car
- Chuck Schumer was by her side as she was wheeled into the Senate chamber
Senator Dianne Feinstein arrived in the Senate on Wednesday in a wheelchair and said she had to work a lighter schedule because of side effects from shingles.
A car drove her to the entrance of the Capitol. The 89-year-old Democratic senator from California looked frail, frail and pale as aides helped her out. Her left eye was closed.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer walked beside her 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 Building
Feinstein has been absent for nearly three months, missing nearly 100 votes after suffering from shingles.
Side effects include persistent pain known as postherpetic neuralgia, painful eye infections that can lead to vision loss, facial paralysis, or problems with hearing or balance, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Feinstein faced calls to resign — even from her fellow Democrats — amid her health concerns and concerns that her absence could get in the way of confirmations from President Joe Biden’s judges. She sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which conducts the confirmation hearings.
She has refused to leave. Several female legislators supported her, calling it sexist to ask Feinstein — a trailblazing female lawmaker — to resign when many white men have served in the Senate until their deaths.
Feinstein flew from California — where she was recovering at her home in San Francisco — on a private jet to Washington DC on Tuesday night.
She said doctors advised her to work a lighter schedule because she continues to experience side effects.
“While I have made significant progress and was able to return to Washington, I still suffer from side effects from the shingles virus. My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule when I return to the Senate,” she said in a statement.
Last month, after being forced to resign from her own party, Feinstein requested a temporary replacement on the Judiciary Committee.
Republicans in the sharply divided Senate rejected the request, saying Democrats just wanted a stand-in to push through Biden’s most partisan judicial nominations.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer greeted Senator Dianne Feinstein upon her return
“Hello everyone,” Feinstein said as she entered the building
Senator Dianne Feinstein returned to the Senate after missing nearly three months
Senator Dianne Feinstein is escorted through the Capitol by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
Feinstein has already said she will not run for re-election in 2024.
The race to replace her is already competitive with several Democrats 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 were to step down, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom — who must nominate someone to serve her term — could disrupt the race to replace her by nominating someone who is already running for the seat.
He has said he would hire a black woman for the job. Rep. Lee is black.
And Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who led the latest round of calls for Feinstein’s resignation, has endorsed Lee in the primary to replace Feinstein.
California has a jungle primary, meaning the top two winners in the primary, regardless of party, advance to the general election. That means the heavily Democratic state could see two Democrats running in the November 2024 election.