Rep. Tlaib joins list of Democrats calling on Sen. Feinstein to resign – JP

Rep. Rashida Tlaib is the latest Democratic lawmaker to urge Sen. Dianne Feinstein to resign, warning her absence has allowed Republicans to pass legislation and block President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees.

“Because Sen. Feinstein was absent, Republicans are passing legislation through the Senate, undermining the right of our residents to breathe clean air,” the Michigan Democrat said in a Friday tweet. “And with a far-right judiciary targeting our human rights, we are unable to confirm judges.

“Sen. Feinstein must step down,” added Tlaib, a member of the influential progressive group known as “the squad.”

The 89-year-old Feinstein has been out since early March, when she was hospitalized with shingles. Though no longer in the hospital, Feinstein’s office has yet to announce a return-to-work date. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., recently said he hopes she will return to the Senate “soon.”

But Schumer this week was unable to provide reporters an updated timetable on Feinstein’s return, complicating Democrats’ plans to spend much of this year processing Biden judicial picks.