Topline
Longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) fought back against mounting pressure from Democrats to resign Thursday, arguing her months-long absence hasn’t stopped the Senate from confirming federal judges and calling out Senate Republicans for blocking judicial nominations—though the 89-year-old did not give a timetable for her return to Washington.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein argued the Senate has not slowed down in its judicial confirmation process … [+]
Key Facts
In a statement, Feinstein claimed the Senate has faced “no slowdown” as it “continues to swiftly confirm highly qualified individuals to the federal judiciary,” after it confirmed seven federal district judges this week—though the Senate has faced a backlog, with the Judiciary Committee unable to advance any nominees to the Senate floor Thursday.
Feinstein, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been absent from the chamber since February due to a bout of shingles, during which time the committee advanced eight judicial nominations to the Senate floor—but the committee is split 10-10 between the two parties due to Feinstein’s absence, meaning every nominee needs at least one GOP vote.
Some 36 of President Joe Biden’s nominees are pending before the Senate, including seven that have not been advanced out of committee, according to the left-leaning American Constitution Society.
A growing number of Democrats, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Ro Khanna (Calif.), have urged Feinstein to resign, expressing concerns her absence could hamper the party’s hopes of boosting their influence on the federal court system and catching up with former President Donald Trump, amid fears Biden could lose his reelection bid in 2024.
Feinstein asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to allow another senator temporarily replace her on the committee—a move that would have required support from at least 10 Republicans to avoid a filibuster, though Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blocked the measure, effectively keeping more than a dozen of President Joe Biden’s nominees from moving through the committee.
Feinstein said in the statement she was “disappointed” in committee Republicans for “blocking a few” nominees from moving forward, vowing to “quickly” move all remaining nominees from the committee to the Senate floor for a vote.
Tangent
The group of congressional Democrats that have called on Feinstein to resign includes Tlaib and Khanna, as well as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.) and Dean Phillips (Minn.). In addition to delays in judicial confirmations, Democrats in Washington have also warned her absence could give Senate Republicans an advantage in the narrowly-Democratic-led chamber to push a bill raising the debt ceiling and cut federal funding by $130 billion, which Democrats have argued could cripple federal social programs, including food stamps, Medicaid and veterans benefits. Biden, meanwhile, vowed to veto the bill if the Senate approves it in its current form.
Big Number
234. That’s how many Trump-nominated federal judges were confirmed during Trump’s four years in office, nearly double the 119 confirmed so far during Biden’s first two-plus years.
Key Background
Feinstein said she initially planned to return to Washington by the end of March. Feinstein, who has been working from her home in San Francisco but missing Judiciary Committee work, admitted one month later her plan was too ambitious and that she was “delayed due to continued complications” from the diagnosis, adding she intended to head back to Washington “as soon as possible” once her medical team gives her the OK to travel. Her absence, however, became a primary concern for Democrats, after first-term Sen. John Fetterman was admitted to a Washington-area hospital in February for clinical depression resulting from a stroke he suffered on the campaign trail last year (Fetterman returned to the Senate last month).
Further Reading
Rep. Rashida Tlaib Joins Calls For Feinstein To Step Down—Here’s Who Else Has Said She Should Resign (Forbes)
More Pressure On Feinstein To Resign: McConnell Blocks Committee Replacement—White House Blasts As ‘Flat Wrong’ (Forbes)
California Rep. Khanna Pushes Dianne Feinstein To Resign From Senate Amid Health Worries (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/05/04/sen-feinstein-claims-no-slowdown-in-judicial-confirmations-amid-calls-to-resign/