Dianne Feinstein Reminded Us That the Senate Doesn’t Have a Plan
The government still doesn’t know what to do when members of Congress cannot serve.
Dianne Feinstein’s decision to step back as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee as she recovers from shingles is a reminder of a larger dilemma facing the Senate: what to do when senators, serving six-year terms, are incapable of fulfilling their role for months or even years. Outside of voluntary resignation, the options the Senate faces are either expulsion—requiring a two-thirds vote—or living with a long-term vacancy or a senator truly incapable of making appropriate decisions.
[Ronald Brownstein: Who will replace Dianne Feinstein?]
This is not a new problem, but it’s one
