Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 89, Was Admitted Into the Hospital in California For Shingles

According to a statement sent by her office on Thursday, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California was admitted to the hospital in the past weeks with shingles. She is currently receiving treatment in her hometown of San Francisco.

Absence and Lapses

On Wednesday, the Senate voted 50 to 46 to block a rule that had been proposed by the Biden administration. This would have allowed retirement fund managers to take into account environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors when making investment decisions.

Feinstein was not present for this vote. In addition, she has been absent for two hearings held by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The San Francisco Chronicle said she indicated through her spokesperson that she was diagnosed with a case of shingles during recess in the month of February.

Then, she was admitted to a hospital for treatment in San Francisco. It turns out the senator’s doctors anticipated that she would make a full recovery from her illness. She also mentioned she is planning on making a comeback to the Senate later this month.

The announcement that Senator Feinstein would be retiring from her lengthy and influential political career was preceded by many weeks with the revelation that she had been hospitalized.

When Senator Feinstein told the press that she was uninformed that her team had sent out a release making the announcement, there was an initial period of bewilderment.

After several allegations that she had difficulty recalling information concerning personnel and legislation, Feinstein decided to stand down from her important post as chairwoman of the Judiciary Committee and take a less prominent role in the committee.

Stepping Down

Several Democrats were also unhappy with how she handled the nomination process of Amy Coney Barrett, who is now on the Supreme Court.

Shingles are painful rashes often accompanied by blisters. These are caused by a virus that is the same one that causes chickenpox. Although it does not pose a risk to one’s life, it is almost always quite painful.

She has served continuously in the Senate since her election in 1992, making her the most senior senator currently in office.

Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who is now receiving treatment for mental depression at Walter Reed Medical Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, was unable to attend votes this week as well.

Their absence highlighted the precarious nature of the Democrats’ slim majority in the US Senate. This is a majority that now stands at 51-49 and includes three Independents who camp with the Democrats.

Despite the fact that she stepped down from her position as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Democrats still hold only an 11-10 majority on that committee. When a membership is evenly split, the minority can slow nominations.

This article appeared in NewsHouse and has been published here with permission.

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