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A half-hour later, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., replied directly to Khanna's tweet in agreement.

\"Senator Feinstein is a remarkable American whose contributions to our country are immeasurable. But I believe it's now a dereliction of duty to remain in the Senate and a dereliction of duty for those who agree to remain quiet,\" he said.

But former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who also resides in San Francisco, defended her longtime colleague and suggested she sees more criticism because she's a woman.

\"It's interesting to me. I don't know what political agendas are at work that are going after Senator Feinstein in that way. I've never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way,\" Pelosi told reporters on Wednesday.

Rep. John Garamendi, another California Democrat, also expressed support for Feinstein.

\"Feinstein deserves our respect and the opportunity to complete her final term in the U.S. Senate,\" he told Punchbowl News.

\"PHOTO:
Bloomberg Creative/Getty Images
PHOTO: The Capitol in Washington, D.C.
>

Asked about Feinstein's statement on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden and the first lady \"wish Senator Feinstein the very best and a speedy recovery\" and that he is \"deeply appreciative of her support\" for his judicial nominees.

Democrats have felt Feinstein's absence perhaps even more so coupled with the absence of newly-elected Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who was hospitalized for six weeks with severe depression but returns next week. Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is recovering at home after spending five days in the hospital last month due to a bad fall. It's unclear when he will return but GOP colleagues say he's also eager to do so.

Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress, has already voluntarily relinquished key positions as a result of questions about her health. She gave up her post of president pro tempore -- a position given to the most senior member of the majority party. In 2020, amid a progressive uproar after Feinstein's perceived leniency during then-Judge Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court confirmation hearings, the senator announced she would surrender her top post on the judiciary panel in the new session in 2021.

While the longest-serving Democratic senator has, so far, refused calls to resign mid-term, Feinstein announced in February she would retire at the end of her term, opening up her seat for the first time in 30 years and kicking off an expensive race to replace her. Khanna, himself, was rumored to be weighing a run for the Senate seat but announced last month he was supporting a bid by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter have also launched campaigns to replace her.

If Feinstein were to step down before her term is up in roughly 20 months, California Gov. Gavin Newsom would be tasked with appointing someone to finish out her term. Newsom has said previously that he would nominate a Black woman to replace her, noting the lack of representation in the Senate.

ABC News' Trish Turner contributed to this report.

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