Gillibrand, Baldwin Say They Don’t Support Calls for 89-Year-Old Feinstein to Resign from Senate
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Democratic Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin dismissed calls for 89-year-old Senator Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) to resign amid her recent health issues that have left her absent from the Senate for weeks.
Both lawmakers suggested it is Feinstein’s right to decide when to retire, even as she has missed several weeks of work after being diagnosed with shingles. Representative Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) has urged Feinstein to step down, saying she can “no longer fulfill her duties.”
“She’s a team player, and she’s an extraordinary member of the Senate,” Gillibrand said during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “It’s her right. She’s been voted by her state to be senator for six years. She has the right, in my opinion, to decide when she steps down.”
“Her legacy and her depth of experience is valuable. And we have had so many senators who have had illnesses, whether it’s [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell’s illnesses, or senators who have had strokes. These are issues that — we’re human,” the New York Democrat said.
“We believe that a senator should be able to make their own judgments about when they’re retiring and when they’re not. And they all deserve a chance to get better and come back to work. Dianne will get better. She will come back to work,” Gillibrand added.
Meanwhile, Baldwin said it’s up to Feinstein and her family to make the decision. The Wisconsin Democrat said she was “pleased” that Feinstein asked Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer to ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily fill her role as Judiciary Committee chair. Feinstein’s absence has paralyzed the committee, leaving Democrats unable to advance judicial nominees to a vote by the full chamber without her vote. It is unclear if the Senate will name a temporary replacement for Feinstein, as doing so would require support from Republicans.
“I think that is really an important, a responsible thing to do during her absence, because we have President Biden’s nominees waiting for hearings and votes and we want to keep that moving. But I wish her well and hope she returns to the Senate very soon,” Baldwin said during an appearance on Meet the Press.
Meanwhile, Khanna on Sunday doubled down on his calls for Feinstein to resign and suggested California governor Gavin Newsom should appoint a “caretaker” replacement for Feinstein. The 89-year-old senator said earlier this year that she would not seek reelection in 2024 after serving more than 30 years in the Senate, setting off a race for her seat.
“Governor Newsom can appoint a caretaker, he doesn’t have to appoint someone in the current race,” Khanna said on Fox News Sunday. “I would support the governor doing that. This has nothing to do with the current race, because a caretaker would solve that.”
“This has to do with someone who’s just not showing up,” Khanna said. “I said out loud what people have been saying in private.”
