美国国家公共电台 NPR--Sen. Feinstein facing calls to resign after missing dozens of votes due to illness

Sen. Feinstein facing calls to resign after missing dozens of votes due to illness

Transcript¹

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is facing calls to resign after missing dozens of Senate votes this year. Feinstein is defending her leave, saying her extended absence was unexpected.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

California Senator Dianne Feinstein says she will step back, but not down.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Feinstein is asking to temporarily drop one of her most important jobs in the Senate. She is part of the Judiciary Committee, which has been confirming judges appointed by President Biden. She hasn't been able to do that job recently due to illness. She has also missed dozens of Senate votes this year, prompting some fellow Democrats³ to say the 89-year-old should resign. She has a bit less than two years left in her term.

FADEL: NPR's congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales is with us for more. Let's start with the senator's extended leave from the Senate. How did this all start?

CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE⁴: Right. The senator said last night she was diagnosed with a case of shingles⁵ that she thought would allow her to return to Washington by the end of last month. But she's had complications, and, as a result, she's missed most of this year's votes in the Senate - a little more than a month - and we do not know when she'll return.

FADEL: And now she's facing increased calls from Democrats for her resignation. What's next for this seat?

GRISALES: Right. She already announced she would not run for reelection in 2024. With that, she said she planned to finish her final two years strong following this 30-plus-year career in the Senate. For now, she's defending this absence, saying she'll return as soon as her medical team says it's safe. But she's not signaling she has any plans to step down early, which puts a key seat in a narrow Senate Democratic majority in limbo⁶.

FADEL: Now, Feinstein is facing all of this criticism, in part because she sits on an important committee. The Senate Judiciary Committee, in her absence, has held up the panel's work it appears. So she's asking to be temporarily relieved from that committee. What does that mean?

GRISALES: So she said in her statement she understands these concerns tied to the Judiciary Committee. And she's asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to allow another Democratic senator to serve on that panel instead. Schumer's office said he'll agree to the request and he'll ask the Senate, when they return next week, to replace her temporarily. And this is critical because the panel, which is led by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, who took over this role from Feinstein, has a long to-do list. This includes plans to confirm more judges and a hearing on new ethical⁷ questions surrounding the Supreme⁸ Court after a report that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted gifts of travel from a wealthy GOP donor⁹, plus questions over whether the panel could play a role in this new national fight over access to the abortion¹⁰ drug.

FADEL: Will these moves appease¹¹ her critics?

GRISALES: That's hard to say. We're seeing some now openly call for her resignation. This was largely led by California Democrat² Ro Khanna last night. Before Feinstein issued her statement on this extended absence, Khanna said it was time for her resignation and it's, quote, "time to put country ahead of personal loyalty¹²."

FADEL: Right. This is clearly exposing divisiveness, an ugly fight for Democrats.

GRISALES: Yes, Khanna said that while Feinstein has had, quote, "a lifetime of public service," it's obvious she can no longer fulfill¹³ her duties and that not speaking out undermines his and other members' credibility. So far, at least one other House Democrat, Dean Phillips of Minnesota, has echoed this, saying it's a dereliction of duty for Feinstein to remain in the Senate under these conditions and for others not to speak out about it. And we should note, if Feinstein were to step down early, that would give the California governor a chance to shake up an already very competitive race for her seat by installing his own appointee ahead of the 2024 election.

FADEL: NPR's Claudia Grisales, thank you so much.

GRISALES: Thank you much.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 shingles   

n.带状疱疹；（布满海边的）小圆石( shingle的名词复数 )；屋顶板；木瓦（板）；墙面板

参考例句：

• Shingles are often dipped in creosote. 屋顶板常浸涂木焦油。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The roofs had shingles missing. 一些屋顶板不见了。 来自辞典例句

6 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

7 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

10 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

11 appease   

v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足

参考例句：

• He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.他试图给那个啼哭的孩子糖果使他不哭。
• The government tried to appease discontented workers.政府试图安抚不满的工人们。

12 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

13 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。