A California House Democrat defended Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) amid calls for her to resign over her health, saying that she should be allowed to finish her term.
Rep. John Garamendi said in a statement on Thursday that he does not believe that Feinstein needs to resign and argued that she is continuing to serve her state and country “honorably and courageously.”
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) called on Feinstein to step down on Wednesday over her health condition. She has not been present at the Capitol since she was diagnosed with shingles in February.
The 89-year-old senator has already announced that she would not seek reelection in 2024 but said she would finish out her term before retiring.
Feinstein’s absence from the Senate Judiciary Committee has caused difficulties for Democrats seeking to advance partisan nominees forward to a vote before the full Senate.
She announced in a statement shortly after Khanna and Phillips called for her resignation that health complications were delaying her return to Washington, D.C., and the Senate should appoint a temporary replacement for her to serve on the committee.
“Senator Feinstein is working every day to return to Washington to carry out her final term in the U.S. Senate,” Garamendi said. “During her recovery from shingles, Senator Feinstein has called for her position on the Judiciary Committee to be temporarily filled to ensure judicial confirmations can be processed in a timely manner.”
“I both respect and support her decision, and I do not believe it is necessary for Senator Feinstein to resign,” he added.
Garamendi pointed to key points from Feinstein’s career as examples of her service, including signing a rent control policy into law as mayor of San Francisco and pushing for the 1994 legislation that banned certain semiautomatic firearms as a senator.
“Senator Feinstein exemplifies every quality we should expect from elected officials. She is a steward of progress and a champion for her constituents,” he said. “I strongly believe that Senator Feinstein deserves our respect and the opportunity to complete her final term in the U.S. Senate.”
Garamendi is not the only Democrat to defend Feinstein following the calls for her to resign.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the former House Speaker, also questioned the calls for Feinstein to step down, telling reporters that she has not seen a man face similar calls during a health situation.
“It’s interesting to me. I don’t know what political agendas are at work that are going after Sen. Feinstein in that way,” Pelosi said. “I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way.”
Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) also contended that a double standard exists, tweeting “When women age or get sick, the men are quick to push them aside. When men age or get sick, they get a promotion.”
“#WomensRights ARE #HumanRights,” she posted.