Dems Increasingly Alarmed Over Feinstein’s Absence

The Daily Beast reports:

Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) absence from the Senate is making life increasingly difficult for President Joe Biden. The 89-year-old has missed 60 of the 82 votes taken in the Senate so far in 2023, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

It’s gotten so bad that a number of top voices in the Democratic party are calling for Feinstein’s resignation, as her absence appears to be keeping the Senate from confirming Biden’s judicial picks.

One of those voices is Jon Lovett, an ex-speechwriter for Barack Obama, who called for Feinstein’s resignation on Tuesday.

Read the full article. The original report is behind a paywall. In February, Feinstein appeared unaware that her office had announced that she won’t seek reelection.

There have been numerous medical absences in the Senate, this year alone. Feinstein’s is uniquely problematic for Dems given her decisive vote on Judiciary Committee — confirming judges is one of the few things her party can do in the next two years without Republican’ blessing.

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) April 11, 2023

Sen. Feinstein has missed 60 of the 82 votes taken in the Senate so far in 2023.https://t.co/wan951nm7G

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) April 12, 2023