Republican senators won’t help replace Dianne Feinstein on the judiciary committee

Yeah democrats believed republicans would help them easily solve their Dianne Feinstein dilemma, they will be disappointed.

A pair of Republicans who serve on the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee have made clear they will not vote to replace the 89-year-old California Democrat on the panel as she requested because of health issues that have kept her away from Washington for nearly two years. . months.

“I will not go along with Chuck Schumer’s plan to replace Senator Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee and fill the court with activist judges. Joe Biden wants the Senate to approve its unqualified and controversial judges to radically transform America,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) tweeted on Monday.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also urged Republicans over the weekend to “not help Democrats confirm Joe Biden’s more radical candidates to the courts.”

Initially, Democrats hoped to replace Feinistein on the committee quickly through what’s known as a unanimous consent request in the Senate while he recovers from a bout of shingles. His absence has stalled the confirmation of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees, which the committee is responsible for processing, and it is unclear when he will return to the Senate.

However, any Republican senator could object to a request for unanimous consent, as Blackburn and Cotton have suggested. That probably means that replacing Feinstein on the committee would require bipartisan support, at least 10 Republican votes, and a longer process that would consume valuable time in the Senate.

It’s unclear at this point if Democrats will attempt to push for Feinstein’s replacement given the GOP’s opposition to a snap vote. Of course, if Feinstein can return sooner than expected, the topic would be moot for now, at least.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) told reporters Monday that he spoke with Feinstein and that “she hopes to be back soon.”

“We think the Republicans should allow a temporary replacement until she returns,” Schumer added.

democrats appear divided on how to handle Feinstein’s absence. Some progressives, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), have called for it to be withdrawn before its target date of late 2024 to allow Biden to confirm judicial nominees. The fate of abortion rights and LGBT rights in federal courts is too important for any one person, they argued.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who also sits on the Judiciary Committee, said: saying that the Democrats have many crucial votes coming up, including on the debt ceiling, which would require the presence of the California senator.

“If this continues month after month, then you’re going to have to make a decision with your family and your friends about what the future holds because it’s not just about California, it’s also about the nation,” Klobuchar told ABC. “This week.”

But other Democratic senators have not backed calls for Feinstein to resign.

“The decision on whether someone should resign is up to that person,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told MSNBC’s “Inside With Jen Psaki” on Sunday. “I don’t think she should be forced to leave.”

“We believe that a senator should be able to make his own judgments about when he will retire,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (DN.Y.) added during an interview Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “She has the right, in my opinion, to decide when she retires.”