California lawmaker Ro Khanna has called on fellow Democrat, US Senator Dianne Feinstein to resign from office saying it was “obvious she can no longer fulfil her duties.”
Representative Khanna became the first elected member of Congress to ask for the 89-year-old senator for California to stand down as she has not cast a vote since being diagnosed with shingles in February.
“It’s time for (Feinstein) to resign. We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty. While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfil her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
Ms Feinstein, who is the oldest member of the US Senate, has said she will not stand again in 2024 but insisted she planned on seeing out her term.
Because of her illness, she has been unable to take part in 58 out of 82 Senate votes so far in 2023, according to The San Francisco Chronicle
Ms Feinstein is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Democrats hold a slender majority of 11 votes to 10 for Republicans.
For judicial nominees to be sent to the Senate floor a majority of the committee’s members need to be present to vote, with a tie meaning that it does not proceed.
The situation has left Democrats concerned about their ability to push through Joe Biden’s nominations of judges, according to NBC News.
Representative Dean Philips, a Democrat from Minnesota, also then called for Ms Feinstein’s resignation.
(I agree with (Khanna). Senator Feinstein is a remarkable American whose contributions to our country are immeasurable,” he tweeted.
“But I believe it’s now a dereliction of duty to remain in the Senate and a dereliction of duty for those who agree to remain quiet.”
Jon Lovett, a former speechwriter for Barack Obama who hosts Pod Save America, called for Ms Feinstein to resign on his podcast on Tuesday.
“Dianne Feinstein should no longer be in the Senate. She should resign. And more people should be calling on her to resign,” he said.
