Senator Feinstein has been holed up at home for months. Now we know why.
And this disturbing photo of Dianne Feinstein explains everything.
This year has been unique due to the absence of many high profile Senators from work.
Senator John Fetterman checked himself into a hospital for depression and the lingering effects of his massive stroke.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took a nasty fall at a private dinner and was rushed to the hospital.
And Dianne Feinstein, the oldest sitting Senator, was sent to the hospital and has been absent for months on end.
But now we’re getting a deeper look into just how bad off she is.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) returned to the Senate in a wheelchair on Wednesday, completing her months-long hiatus as she recovered from shingles.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) may be seen going alongside Feinstein as she is carried into the Senate chamber for a vote.
Nancy Pelosi is 83
McConnell is 81
Joe Biden is 80
Dianne Feinstein is 89America is a Gerontocracy pic.twitter.com/9V79oP5nnv
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 10, 2023
According to Liz Kreutz, an ABC7 San Francisco reporter, Feinstein’s staff stated that the senator is “experiencing vision/balance impairments & at times will need to use a wheelchair to travel around the Capitol.”
It's official: @SenFeinstein is back on Capitol Hill. Here is the moment she voted on the Senate floor. She was escorted in by @SenSchumer
Feinstein's office says she is experiencing vision/balance impairments & at times will need to use a wheelchair to travel around the Capitol pic.twitter.com/Tf0KaTZThN
— Liz Kreutz (@ABCLiz) May 10, 2023
Feinstein described her circumstances in a statement.
“Even though I’ve made significant progress and was able to return to Washington, I’m still experiencing some side effects from the shingles virus,” Feinstein said. “My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate. I’m hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover.”
Feinstein, 89, is the Senate’s oldest member, and some colleagues have expressed concerns about her mental health in recent years. Feinstein announced her intention to run for re-election in 2024 in February. Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee, all prominent House Democrats, have declared campaigns to succeed Feinstein in the Senate.
Feinstein reported in early March that she had been diagnosed with shingles and has been healing ever since. Due to Feinstein’s membership on the Senate Judiciary Committee, her absence resulted in a 10-10 split along party lines, preventing the body from advancing some of President Joe Biden’s appointments to federal courts across the country.
Some Democrats, like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), have begun to demand for Feinstein’s resignation in recent weeks, and Republicans have kept the pressure on by obstructing a bid to replace Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee.
“I have returned to Washington and am prepared to resume my duties in the Senate. I’m grateful for all the well-wishes over the past couple of months and for the excellent care that I received from my medical team in San Francisco,” Feinstein said in her statement on Wednesday.
“The Senate faces many important issues, but the most pressing is to ensure our government doesn’t default on its financial obligations,” Feinstein added. “I also look forward to resuming my work on the Judiciary Committee considering the president’s nominees.”
Stay tuned to DC Daily Journal.
