Debt ceiling fight shows stakes of Feinstein's US Senate absence-Klobuchar
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[April 17, 2023]
By Katharine Jackson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The standoff over raising the U.S. federal
government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling illustrates the stakes of U.S.
Senator Dianne Feinstein's lengthy absence from Washington, fellow
Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar said on Sunday.
Feinstein, 89, faced calls from some fellow Democrats last week to
resign her seat after being sidelined since early March by a bout of
shingles. On Wednesday she said she would temporarily step down from her
spot on the Judiciary Committee while she recovers.
"We are going to need her vote on the Senate floor eventually. We have
things like the debt ceiling coming up," Klobuchar said in an interview
on ABC's "This Week" program.
Congress has been locked in a standoff over the debt ceiling since
January, with the Republicans who control the House of Representatives
saying they will vote to raise it only in exchange for federal spending
cuts. President Joe Biden's Democrats insist on a "clean" debt ceiling
bill unaccompanied by cuts.
Democrats control the Senate by a narrow 51-49 margin, making every vote
critical.
Feinstein said on Wednesday that she will continue to work from her San
Francisco home, which will prevent her from voting in the Senate, where
she has not cast a vote since mid-February.
"I intend to return as soon as possible once my medical team advises
that it's safe for me to travel," Feinstein said.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer will ask the Senate this week to allow
another Democratic senator to temporarily serve on the Judiciary
Committee.
Klobuchar, a Senate Judiciary Committee member, said the trail-blazing
California lawmaker had "made the right decision" to step aside until
she is able to resume work, but the closely divided Senate could not
cope with her absence indefinitely.
"If this goes on month after month after month, then she's going to have
to make a decision with her family and her friends about what her future
holds, because this isn't just about California. It's also about the
nation," Klobuchar said.
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U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
moves through the Senate subway during a vote at the U.S. Capitol in
Washington, U.S., September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Feinstein on Wednesday faced the first public calls for her
resignation from fellow Democrats.
Representative Ro Khanna of California, who last week urged
Feinstein to step down, said she was no longer able to do the job in
an appearance on "Fox News Sunday."
"I have a lot of respect for Senator Feinstein, but she's missed 75%
of votes this year. She hasn't been showing up," Khanna said. "She
has no return date."
Also appearing on "Fox News Sunday," U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
defended Feinstein, saying she should be allowed to make up her own
mind when or whether she will retire before her term ends after the
2024 elections.
"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," Gillibrand said. "Dianne will get better. She will come back
to work."
A representative for Feinstein could not be immediately reached for
comment.
Feinstein is one of three senators who recently have been out for
medical reasons. Mitch McConnell, 81, the Senate's top Republican,
was treated for a concussion after falling at a dinner in
Washington. Democratic Senator John Fetterman was hospitalized for
depression earlier this year while recuperating from a stroke.
McConnell and Fetterman are expected to return to work on Monday.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson, Hannah Lang and Arshad Mohammed;
Editing by Scott Malone and Chizu Nomiyama)
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