Dianne Feinstein defends absence, does not say when she will return to the Senate

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) defended her absence from the Senate on Thursday, saying her recovery from months of shingles has not slowed the pace of the president’s confirmation. Joe Bidenjudicial nominees.

“There has been no slowdown,” Feinstein said in a statement released by her office, pointing instead to republicans for preventing some nominees from advancing on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

However, Feinstein, whose last Senate vote was in mid-February, did not provide an update on when she planned to return to the upper chamber. There was some speculation that Feinstein could return next week, but that doesn’t seem likely.

“I am confident that when I return to the Senate, we will be able to quickly remove the remaining qualified candidates from committee and bring them to the full Senate for a vote,” he said.

This is a developing story. Please check for updates.