By Moira Warburton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress, has been released from the hospital after being treated for shingles, she said on Tuesday, though she did not specify when she would be able to return to Washington.
Democrats control the Senate by a narrow 51-49 margin, meaning that even one or two absences can impact whether contentious legislation can pass.
“I continue receiving treatment and look forward to returning to the Senate as soon as possible,” Feinstein, 89, said on Twitter.
Feinstein, the longest-serving female senator, recently said she would not seek reelection to the Senate seat she has held since 1992, triggering a race among Californian Democrats to replace her.
With her absence, along with that of Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who is currently being treated for clinical depression, both Democrats and Republicans have 49 votes in the Senate.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler)
