Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California was hospitalized for a short time Tuesday after a fall, according to a spokesperson, the latest in a string of health issues for the US Senate’s oldest member.
“Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “All of her scans were clear and she returned home.”
Feinstein’s fall was described as a minor slip and did not involve steps or stairs, according to a source familiar with the situation, who added the 90-year-old was taken to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. She has been calling friends who heard the news and is described as being in good spirits, telling them she didn’t even get a Band-aid, the source added.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a statement after Feinstein’s fall, saying they spoke on the phone Wednesday morning.
“She said she suffered no injuries and briefly went to the hospital as a precaution,” said Schumer, a Democrat from New York. “I’m glad she is back home now and is doing well.”
TMZ first reported Feinstein’s fall.
Concerns for Feinstein’s health have grown in the past year, after her hospitalization for shingles in February led to an extended absence from the Senate. When Feinstein returned to Capitol Hill in May, her office confirmed that she had suffered multiple complications during her recovery from shingles, including Ramsay Hunt syndrome and encephalitis.
“While the encephalitis resolved itself shortly after she was released from the hospital in March, she continues to have complications from Ramsay Hunt syndrome,” a spokesperson told CNN at the time.
She has also appeared confused at times, disputing the length of her absence and her diagnoses. Feinstein told CNN that she did not have encephalitis, noting, “It really has never been diagnosed properly,” and calling it, “really a bad flu.”
During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing at the end of July, Feinstein had to be prompted to vote “aye” by Chairwoman Patty Murray, a Washington state Democrat. When it was the Californian’s turn to vote, she began to read her prepared remarks, before an aide stopped her and Murray told her “just say ‘aye.’”
Her office told CNN after the hearing, “Trying to complete all of the appropriations bills before recess, the committee markup this morning was a little chaotic, constantly switching back and forth between statements, votes, and debate and the order of bills.”
The office added, “The senator was preoccupied, didn’t realize debate had just ended and a vote was called. She started to give a statement, was informed it was a vote and then cast her vote.”
Some Democrats – mostly in the House – have openly called on her to resign. In May, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said Feinstein “should retire. I think criticisms of that stance as ‘anti-feminist’ are a farce,” in a post on the social media platform Bluesky.
Other House Democrats have also pushed for her resignation, arguing that her absence from the Senate Judiciary Committee slowed down the process of confirming judicial nominees, a point Feinstein’s office disputed. Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York told CNN, “yes,” she should resign. “You know, she’s had a very long and stellar career, you know, but missing that many votes, you know, it stops us from moving forward with judge nominations,” he added.
Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota agreed. “I respect the heck out of Sen. Feinstein, and I think she’s an extraordinary American who served the country with grace and effectiveness. But I also think it’s fairly obvious that competency matters now more than ever, and the ability to show up,” he told reporters in May.
He added, “And it saddens me to say, but I think, frankly, it’s up to those around her, her closest ones, it’s up to senators, it’s up to Californians to make that decision. But I’m gonna call it like I see it, and I think this job is a tough one when you’re at your best, let alone when you’re compromised, or infirm and I think that’s pretty clear.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Jessica Dean contributed to this report.
