Sen. Dianne Feinstein returns to D.C. after shingles hospitalization

May 9 (UPI) -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., returned to work in Washington, D.C., Tuesday for the first time since February, following a longer-than-expected recovery from shingles.

Feinstein's office said she had boarded a plane from her California home, ahead of a Senate vote Tuesday evening.

Her return restores a slim one-seat Democratic advantage in the U.S. Senate, and a majority on the upper chamber's Judiciary Committee.

Feinstein, who turns 90 in less than a month, is the oldest sitting senator and was hospitalized in early March with shingles.

Last month, some of her own Democratic colleagues called for her to resign from the Senate, saying she was no longer capable of carrying out her duties as a lawmaker. A proposal to temporarily replace her on the Senate Judiciary Committee was met with strong pushback from Republicans.

The committee in March was unable to pass a number of nominees through the panel. She missed almost 100 floor votes during her absence.

Feinstein in February announced she would not seek re-election next year.

The Senate is set to hold a vote starting at 5:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday.

"I'm glad that my friend Dianne is back in the Senate and ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work. After talking with her multiple times over the past few weeks, it's clear she's back where she wants to be and ready to deliver for California," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told The Hill Tuesday.

Her return will bring the Democrats back to full strength in the Senate. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., returned in mid-April after being hospitalized with major depression following a stroke.