Voting under sedationĪnother dramatic vote that reverberated for years was cast two decades later by California Republican Pete Wilson. Engle was back to vote for final passage of the bill later that month. Engle," the Californian, too weak to speak, slowly raised one arm and pointed to his right eye.Ĭameras were not permitted in Congress in those days, but as the word went out on the wire the cheering began. When Engle was carried up the steps of the Capitol that day, no one could be certain the majority Democrats and their allies on the Republican side had the 67 votes required at that time to break a filibuster.Īs the roll call began, Engle lay in the chamber with Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield standing at his side. At the time, the chamber was locked in a 75-day filibuster by Southern Democrats opposed to the civil rights legislation. Clair Engle, a Democrat whose vote was needed on the day in June of 1964 when the Senate broke the filibuster that had blocked what became the Civil Rights Act.Īlthough just 52, Engle had recently undergone surgery for a brain tumor and had been absent for weeks from the Senate. Two of Feinstein's California predecessors have been brought to the Capitol from hospitals by ambulance and carried in on stretchers to cast crucial votes. On occasion, the Senate has seen senators in a weakened condition cast their votes in rather dramatic ways. Typically, that includes an audible announcement of "aye" or "nay" and sometimes also a physical thumbs up or down. The Senate requires members to be present and make their vote known by open declaration. Byrd of West Virginia, who died in 2010 at age 92 after 51 years in the Senate (still the record). Also holding that position to the end was Robert C.
#Emergency senate session pro#
South Carolina's legendary Strom Thurmond served in the Senate until shortly after his 100 th birthday, performing his duties as the Senate president pro tempore. It also raises questions about the institution's ability to deal with its internal issues of absence due to aging or disability.įar from new, these issues have been part of the Senate's peculiar sense of itself and the prerogatives of its members throughout the institution's history. That means that for the remainder of the 118 th Congress, her ability to attend and vote will be a matter of intense concern for her party. Some Democrats outside the Senate have publicly called on her to resign now so that California's Democratic governor can appoint a successor and the Judiciary Committee can have a new member.īut Feinstein has refused to step down or even to discuss it, at least so far. The senator's office has announced that she will not seek reelection in 2024. That prolonged the delay until Feinstein was able to return in May. When Feinstein asked in April that she be temporarily replaced on the committee, Republicans objected. Dianne Feinstein returns to Washington following an absence
That delayed the confirmation of several of President Biden's appointments to federal judgeships and executive positions for months. Her absence also left a vacant chair on her committees – notably Judiciary, where without her vote, the Democrats could muster only a tie. But Feinstein has been missing from the Senate for much of the current session, recovering in California from a bout with shingles complicated by encephalitis and other ailments.ĭuring her monthslong absence she missed 91 votes, more than any other senator, and about two-thirds of all this year's Senate roll calls.
That was June 22, which also happened to be her 90 th birthday.įeinstein is the oldest member of the current Senate, eclipsing Iowa Republican Charles Grassley by a few months. When the Senate returns next week from its Independence Day recess, one major focus for Democrats will be their dependence on one member of their ultraslim majority.Ĭalifornia Democrat Dianne Feinstein took part on the Senate floor on the most recent day the chamber held recorded votes. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag Capitol following a vote, on May 11, as she returned to Washington, D.C., after having being absent from the Senate for months due to illness.
Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., departs from the U.S.
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