Dianne Feinstein appears confused at Senate committee hearing

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein appeared confused and had to be prompted to vote “aye” in an uncomfortable moment during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday.

The 90-year-old Democrat, who has faced calls to resign due to her health, remained awkwardly silent when it was her turn to cast her vote on the $831.781 billion Defense Appropriations bill.

“Say aye,” Washington Sen. Patty Murray said to her. She repeated herself three more times.

Feinstein, who has seemed frail and disoriented since battling complications from a shingles diagnosis in the spring, then began trying to read a prepared statement.

But an aide came to her side and interrupted her before whispering something.

“Yeah,” Murray said once more. “Just say ‘aye.’”

“OK, just,” Feinstein replied.

“Aye,” Murray emphasized.

Then, Feinstein sat back in her chair and let out an “aye” for her vote.

A spokesperson later told NBC News that Feinstein had just slipped up amid the cluster of votes on several government spending bills ahead of a six-week break.

“The senator was preoccupied, didn’t realize debate had just ended and a vote was called,” the spokesperson said. “She started to give a statement, was informed it was a vote and then cast her vote.”

Feinstein, who has represented California for over 30 years, announced earlier this year that she would not seek re-election in 2024. Several longtime colleagues have leaked to the press that her mental acuity has significantly declined.

Several Democratic members of Congress have called on Feinstein to resign before the end of her term, citing her cognitive state and prolonged absence, which delayed some federal judicial confirmations.

Feinstein was briefly hospitalized in February for complications due to shingles.

She was released to her San Francisco home, where she recovered for the next two months.

She returned to Washington, DC, on May 10.

Upon her return, Feinstein seemed confused about her months-long absence when confronted by reporters.

She once insisted that she had not left Congress to recover from the illness, but had been there voting the whole time.

According to a New York Times report earlier this year, Feinstein relies on staffers to push her wheelchair, remind her how and when she should vote and explain what is happening when she becomes confused.

On Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell gave reporters a scare when he suddenly froze up while delivering remarks at a press conference on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The 81-year-old senator was ushered away from the podium, but returned moments later and insisted he was “fine.”

McConnell, the chamber’s fourth oldest member, returned minutes later, saying he was “fine.”

A McConnell aide later told reporters that the minority leader “felt light-headed and stepped away for a moment.”