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Sen. Dianne Feinstein Hospitalized With Shingles, Could Miss Key Votes

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress, has been hospitalized in her home state for a case of shingles. Feinstein “hopes to return to Washington soon,” one of her representatives said, without providing any additional details about the senator’s condition. She will miss crucial votes in the U.S. Senate.

“I was diagnosed over the February recess with a case of shingles,” Feinstein said in a statement. “I have been hospitalized and am receiving treatment in San Francisco and expect to make a full recovery. I hope to return to the Senate later this month.”

The 89-year-old Democrat — who has represented the Golden State since 1992 and is the oldest sitting U.S. senator — said she expects to make a “full recovery.”

Feinstein’s hospitalization comes just weeks after she announced that she will not run for re-election in 2024.

“I am announcing today I will not run for reelection in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends,” Feinstein said at the time. “Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives. Each of us was sent here to solve problems. That’s what I’ve done for the last 30 years, and that’s what I plan to do for the next two years. My thanks to the people of California for allowing me to serve them.”

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Feinstein is one of two Senate Democrats out with illness, which resulted in Vice President Kamala Harris having to break three tied votes this week.

It could only get tighter moving forward as it’s unclear when Feinstein and Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman could return.

Key staff for Fetterman released an update on his condition earlier this week as he continues to receive treatment for clinical depression at Walter Reed Medical Center after suffering a major stroke last year.

According to reports, Fetterman, who had a severe stroke in May but went on to win his election against Trump-backed Dr. Mehmet Oz, was evaluated earlier this month by Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician of Congress, and subsequently checked himself into the hospital for treatment.

According to Adam Jentleson, the senator’s chief of staff who provided an update on Monday about his boss’s condition, Fetterman has suffered from depression “off and on” throughout his life.

“We don’t have a lot to update folks with since there’s no real news to report except that John is doing well, working with the wonderful doctors, and remains on a path to recovery,” Joe Calvello said in a statement, according to The Washington Post.

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“He is visiting with staff and family daily, and his staff are keeping him updated on Senate business and news,” he said. “We understand the intense interest in John’s status and especially appreciate the flood of well-wishes.”

“However, as we have said this will be a weeks-long process and while we will be sure to keep folks updated as it progresses, this is all there is to give by way of an update,” he noted further, adding that the office continues to work as normal on the senator’s business.

“Our team is moving full speed ahead and working tirelessly for the people of Pennsylvania,” Calvello said. “Just last week we opened a new office in Erie and will be opening several more offices in the coming weeks.”

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But he did not provide any update on Fetterman’s wife, Gisele, who fled the country with the couple’s children shortly after he checked into the hospital.

Earlier this month, NBC News reporter Dasha Burns noted that senior aides to Sen. Fetterman indicated that “it’s been difficult to distinguish the stroke from the depression – saying it’s hard to tell at times if Fetterman is ‘not hearing you, or is he sort of crippled by his depression and social anxiety.’”

“A senior aide tells me both the staff and Fetterman himself were taken by surprise by the severe onset of depression,” she noted. “The aide also says this hasn’t compromised his ability to do the job going forward, and he will be back to work once he has taken care of his mental health.”

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