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Dianne Feinstein briefly hospitalized after fall in her California home

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was briefly hospitalized Tuesday after she suffered a fall in San Francisco, her office said in a statement.

"Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home," her office said. "All of her scans were clear and she returned home."

Feinstein, 90, has struggled with her health over at least the past year. She spent nearly three months away from Congress after she was hospitalized with shingles in March and spent weeks recovering as she experienced complications from the disease. Feinstein also suffered from encephalitis and Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., returns to the Senate Judiciary Committee following a more than two-month absence at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 11, 2023.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., returns to the Senate Judiciary Committee following a more than two-month absence at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 11, 2023.

Her extended absence from Capitol Hill contributed to a delay in Senate business, but her return in May raised additional concerns about the nonagenarian senator's health. Feinstein appeared confused at times in Congress and reportedly denied that she had been away from Washington, prompting questions from colleagues about her ability to serve.

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During a Senate Appropriations Committee markup vote late last month, Feinstein began to read a statement, prompting Senate colleagues to tell Feinstein to: "Just say 'aye.'"

Feinstein announced in February that she will not seek reelection to the Senate in 2024, instead promising to focus on her final two years in the upper chamber.

"Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives. Each of us was sent here to solve problems," Feinstein said in a February statement. "That’s what I’ve done for the last 30 years, and that’s what I plan to do for the next two years."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein hospitalized after fall in California