Feinstein visits hospital briefly after fall at home 

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) took a quick trip to the hospital Tuesday after tripping and falling at her home.  

“Sen. Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home. All of her scans were clear and she returned home,” a spokesperson for Feinstein told The Hill.  

Feinstein, who is 90 years old, was hospitalized earlier this year for shingles, causing her to miss nearly three months of the Senate’s session in Washington.  

Her absence from the Senate delayed several of President Biden’s judicial nominees as she sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Democrats hold a narrow 11-10 majority.  

Since returning to the Senate May 10, she has regularly attended committee hearings, markups and floor votes, though she has also appeared to have occasional bouts of confusion.  

Several progressive House Democrats called on Feinstein to resign earlier this year because of the temporary holdup of judicial nominees, including Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Dean Phillips (D-Minn.).  

The New York Times editorial board called on her to resign in May if her continued absence further delayed Senate work.  

Feinstein’s Democratic colleagues in the Senate, however, had backed her continued service in the upper chamber and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) kept in close contact with her during her recovery from shingles earlier this year.  

Schumer said in a statement he spoke to Feinstein Wednesday. 

“She said she suffered no injuries and briefly went to the hospital as a precaution. I’m glad she is back home now and is doing well,” he said.

Al Weaver contributed. Updated at 12:26 p.m.