At the age of 90, Sen. Dianne Feinstein passed away. During her more than three decades in the U.S. Senate, she broke down glass barriers.
According to Senate records, Feinstein gave her final vote in the Senate late on Thursday morning. James Sauls, her chief of staff, said that she passed away at her home in Washington, D.C., on Thursday night.
Sauls remarked that Feinstein “never faltered in a fight for what was just and right.” “At the same time, she was always willing to work with anyone, even those she disagreed with, if it meant improving Californians’ lives or our country as a whole.”
She was the longest-serving senator from California and the longest-serving senator of any gender in the Senate. However, concerns about her health have cast a shadow on her governing record in recent months and years.
Feinstein’s legacy
Feinstein served as the first female chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence for six years as well as the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. Feinstein held the position of the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2017 until 2021. She was the first woman to hold that position.
Since joining the Senate in 1992, Feinstein has battled for what she calls “sensible gun laws,” improved the water infrastructure in her state and the environment, and supported same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ rights.
In 1994, Feinstein drafted and contributed to the passage of the federal assault weapons prohibition. Along with other Democrats, including President Joe Biden, Feinstein pushed for the law’s reinstatement after it expired in 2004.
The senator from California also contributed to the creation of the national Amber Alert system, which alerts people to missing children.
