Feinstein Stand-In to Lead Appropriations Hearing During Absence

Sen. Dianne Feinstein will be allowed a replacement to lead a hearing at the Appropriations subcommittee she chairs while members wait for the California Democrat to recover from shingles.

Another member of the Appropriations Committee will chair an Energy and Water Subcommittee hearing — tentatively scheduled for the week of April 24 — during her absence, according to Feinstein spokesman Adam Russell.

A Democratic committee aide also confirmed a member of the panel will preside over upcoming Energy and Water Subcommittee hearings as needed.

The decision by fellow panel members allows the subcommittee to continue with preliminary work before they write a bill funding the Energy Department and other agencies. A tentative schedule published last month detailed plans for subcommittee hearings on April 26 and May 3.

The decision does not mean another senator would join the Appropriations Committee during her absence.

The effort to keep appropriations work moving during Feinstein’s absence is less fraught than Democrats’ attempt to assign a substitute for her on the Judiciary Committee. While Democrats want to quickly hold votes on President Joe Biden’s judicial appointments, appropriations markups aren’t expected to start until late May.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jack Fitzpatrick in Washington at jfitzpatrick@bgov.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com; Brandon Lee at blee@bgov.com