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By Katherine Fung
Senior Writer
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Senator Dianne Feinstein was hospitalized in California for a fall on Tuesday, once again prompting calls for her resignation.
The 90-year-old Democrat reportedly tripped and fell while home in San Francisco over Congress' August recess.
"Senator 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 the senator told Newsweek in a Wednesday statement.
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Feinstein, who is the oldest sitting member of Congress, has struggled with health issues in recent years, and her age and questions about her mental acuity have prompted calls for her to retire. She missed nearly three months on the Hill after she contracted shingles and has been seen at the U.S. Capitol looking confused and unaware of her surroundings. Earlier this year, she announced she would not run for re-election in 2024.
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Older lawmakers from both parties have faced wide criticisms over their decisions to remain in office at their age.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is the fourth oldest senator at 81 years of age, went viral last month after he struggled to speak at the podium of his weekly press conference, sparking questions about whether he was still suffering from the concussion he was hospitalized for in March. Over the past weekend, McConnell was heckled at an event in Kentucky by crowd members who chanted, "Retire!"
Feinstein's hospitalization renewed the calls for her resignation and questions of whether she should be allowed to finish out her term.
"Its absolutely insane she has not resigned, long ago," one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Her staff who enables all this cares far more about their bloated salaries ($175-225k each) than what is right."
Civil rights attorney Andrew Laufer responded, "Agree. She needs to step down."
"Dianne Feinstein must resign or be expelled from the Senate," former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis wrote on X. "AGE LIMITS NOW!"
The news also comes less than a week after it was reported that the lawmaker had given power of attorney over to her daughter, 66-year-old Katherine Feinstein. While power of attorney is sometimes granted because an individual may be unable to make their own decisions, it can also be granted in matters of convenience like estate planning.
"Her lacked ability to care for herself has forced her to give power of attorney to her daughter. She's still a member of the Senate," one person said on X. "At what point will her colleagues give up the charade and admit she needs to retire? This is absolutely ridiculous. No one this old should be representing this country in Congress. The founding fathers would roll in their graves."
Update 08/09/23, 11:23 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
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