Sen. Feinstein asks for committee replacement during absence

Dianne Feinstein asked Wednesday if another Democratic senator could take her place on the Judiciary Committee while she recovers from shingles. The 89-year-old senator—the oldest member of Congress—hasn’t been to Washington since early March. Democratic Congressmen Ro Khanna and Dean Phillips on Wednesday called for her to resign. Her absence is making it more difficult to confirm President Joe Biden’s federal judge picks, Khanna said. Feinstein has already said she will not run for reelection.

Are the other senators who are out of office recovering? Senator John Fetterman said he’ll return to Washington next week to lead a hearing on food stamps. He has been absent from the Senate for about two months after being hospitalized for clinical depression following a stroke. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 81, hopes to return to Washington on Monday. He has been recovering from a fall in early March that resulted in a concussion and a fractured rib.

Dig deeper: Read Emma Freire’s report in The Stew on a generational shift in Democratic leadership.