Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) insists she will be back at work yet she hasn’t said when that might be. The senior senator from California has been out with shingles for almost two months and is still home recovering. She is 89 years old, after all, and her recovery isn’t going to be a quick one.

The Democrats are running out of patience waiting for her return. With only a very narrow majority in the Senate, Democrats are desperate for Feinstein to return because she is on the Senate Judiciary Committee and there are judicial nominees to vote out of committee and onto the floor for confirmation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is trying to appease his members, especially the progressive wing, and said that he thinks Feinstein will be back to work next week. Feinstein issued a statement Thursday criticizing Republicans for not going along with her request for Chuck Schumer to replace her temporarily on the committee so that the nominations can move forward. Yet, she didn’t say when she would return.

On Thursday, Feinstein released a statement pushing back on the criticism that she is impeding the confirmation of judges, pointing out that the Judiciary Committee has approved most of those that have come forward during her absence.

“I’m disappointed that Republicans on the committee are blocking a few from moving forward,” Feinstein said. “I’m confident that when I return to the Senate, we will be able to move the remaining qualified nominees out of committee quickly and to the Senate floor for a vote.”

It’s fine by me that Feinstein has been out for two months and her absence may continue for a while. I don’t want Joe Biden’s judicial picks to advance to the Senate floor for full confirmation. The ones that are lingering in committee at this point are the most difficult nominations. I applaud the Republicans for taking a stand and saying no to her request for a temporary substitute.

I understand that her constituents may be concerned that she is not providing representation in Washington for them. I blame them, though, since they keep re-electing her. It’s not like they don’t know her age or how long she has been in office. It isn’t a surprise that an 89-year-old politician may have health problems come up that disrupt their ability to do their job. Them’s the breaks.

Chuck Schumer spoke with Feinstein last Sunday, according to her spokesperson. But, that spokesperson said there is still no timeline for her return. During his press conference Tuesday, Schumer’s prepared notes included, “I spoke with Sen. Feinstein yesterday. We are both hopeful she can return next week.” He didn’t bring that point up, though, and reporters didn’t ask.

Most senators say they have not communicated directly with Feinstein but are getting their information from Schumer.

“I’ve heard she’s recovering and I heard she’s gonna be back soon. So I’m very excited to see her,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who serves on the Judiciary Committee with Feinstein and began his political career as a member of Feinstein’s staff, said he exchanged messages with her late last week but hadn’t connected directly.

He said that he knew Feinstein was “frustrated that the recovery hasn’t happened more quickly.”

“She’s eager to get back, I know that,” he said.

This wouldn’t even be a story if the Senate was not so closely divided. There is very little leeway in votes and Democrats want to push through as many of Biden’s judicial nominations as possible before the next election. It is looking pretty good for Republicans to take back the majority in 2024, as long as good candidates are recruited and Republican senators currently in the office can win re-election. Let’s hope we aren’t disappointed as we were in 2022.