California Senator Dianne Feinstein is facing calls to resign as her ill health has seen her miss around three-quarters of all Senate votes this year, impacting President Joe Biden's judicial nominees.
Before she became ill with the painful but non life-threatening condition in February, the Democrat had missed two Senate votes in 2023.
Since March 7, Feinstein has missed a further 58 Senate votes, meaning she has failed to vote in 60 votes of the 82 Senate votes taken in 2023 so far.
Feinstein is a member of the key Senate Judiciary Committee that considers nominations to the federal courts, including the Supreme Court, as well as some government appointments.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) walks through the Senate Subway on her way to a vote at the U.S. Capitol September 12, 2022 in Washington, DC.
There are now calls from Democratic figures for Feinstein to resign from office while noting her absence is preventing the Senate from confirming justices.
Of the 58 votes Feinstein has missed while ill, 25 were for judicial nominees and and 13 were for executive branch nominees. »