Nancy Pelosi Suggests Calls for Sen. Dianne Feinstein to Resign Are Sexist

Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (R-Calif.) has rejected calls by fellow Democrats for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), an 89-year-old woman, to resign due to poor health, and suggested that sexism was behind them.

Feinstein was diagnosed with shingles in February and has been absent from the Senate ever since. Several House Democrats have urged her to resign, but Pelosi criticized these voices, implying that sexism was at play.

During a Capitol Hill press conference, Pelosi told reporters, “It’s interesting to me. I don’t know what political agendas are at work that are going after Sen. Feinstein in that way. I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way.” Pelosi added that Feinstein “deserves the respect to get well and be back on duty.”

Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) also suggested that there was a double standard behind calls for Feinstein to resign. In a tweet, Torres said, “When women age or get sick, the men are quick to push them aside.” Torres added without providing any specific examples to support her claim that “When men age or get sick, they get a promotion.”

Democrat Lawmakers Urge Feinstein to Resign

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) was the first lawmaker to call on Feinstein to quit. He tweeted, “While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties.” Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) echoed Khanna’s sentiment, calling Feinstein a “remarkable American whose contributions to our country are immeasurable.” However, he added that forcing Feinstein to stay on as a senator while absent for an extended period was not in the interests of her constituents.

Feinstein’s failure to attend Senate Judiciary Committee meetings has prevented Democrats from advancing their nominees through the committee for a Senate floor vote. Khanna said in a statement to NBC News that Feinstein’s absence was holding up President Joe Biden’s judicial nominations. “We have a crisis in the judiciary with extremist judges stripping away women’s rights. You can’t preach on television about the danger of these judges and then sit silently as Senator Feinstein misses vote after vote to confirm pro-choice judges,” Khanna said. “It’s time for California officials who care deeply about reproductive rights to call on her to step down at this moment in history.”

Feinstein Responds

Feinstein responded to calls for her resignation by saying that the Senate should appoint a temporary replacement to sit in for her on the Judiciary Committee.

In a statement released on Wednesday, she said, “I understand that my absence could delay the important work of the Judiciary Committee, so I’ve asked Leader Schumer to ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve until I’m able to resume my committee work.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) confirmed that in accordance with Feinstein’s request, he would ask the Senate next week to let someone take her spot on the committee.

Although she initially expected to return to her duty on Capitol Hill by the end of March, Feinstein’s medical team advised against it due to continued health complications related to her shingles diagnosis. She stated that she would come back when her doctors approve that it’s safe for her to travel and added that she would continue to work from home in San Francisco.

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which triggers a painful skin rash.