Senator Dianne Feinstein falls at her home in San Francisco, is briefly hospitalized
Sen. Dianne Feinstein suffered a “minor fall” at her home Tuesday and was taken to a hospital, the latest health-related mishap for the California Democrat.
Feinstein, 90, has been at her San Francisco home during the congressional recess that began two weeks ago.
“Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home. All of her scans were clear and she returned home,” a statement from her office Wednesday said.
She plans to return to Washington when the Senate reconvenes September 5.
Feinstein, a senator since 1992, has had a series of medical setbacks this year and a handful of prominent Democrats, including Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara, have called for her to step down.
She was absent from Washington for about three months earlier in 2023 after suffering from shingles and other ailments. Her absence became worrisome for Democrats because the Judiciary Committee, the first stop for confirming or rejecting federal judicial nominees, had a 11 to 10 Democratic majority.
Without Feinstein, that became a 10 to 10 tie, and concerns grew that Biden administration nominees would stall.
Since returning in May, Feinstein has rarely displayed her trademark energy. She usually gets around the Capitol in a wheelchair.
In late July, colleagues had to advise her how to vote at a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting. Feinstein did not vote at one point until told to do so by Chairman Patty Murray, D-Washington.
A few days earlier, Feinstein voted for a Republican amendment to a Democratic-authored Supreme Court ethics bill in the Judiciary Committee. Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, advised her to vote yes, so she did.
Feinstein is not planning to run for re-election. Her term ends in January 2025, and several prominent Democrats are scrambling to succeed her. Among them are Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee and former tech executive Lexi Reese.
