So the conference has not deleted it and they have sent a confirmation email to your supervisor. It is not a big problem, you can talk or email to your supervisor and explain the same thing to him and tell him you would not submit an abstract without his permission in the future. I would suggest show him the email you have sent to the conference asking them to delete it. My supervisor is also very sensitive about conferences, he did not let me to send an abstract to any conference for a long time until I had good results. I know he would have a same reaction if I did what you have done. While some other profs do not have any problem with their students going to various conferences without results and ...

Thanks for the respond. I am thinking of keeping the person in the committee and just dealing with it. It seems the best choice although annoying for me.

I was wandering if anyone has an experience in removing one of the committee members from the graduate advisory committee? I am a PhD student on my final year and I am having difficulty with one of my committee members. I know my supervisor will not be supportive of this decision at all. But I think it should be my decision since I am the one who hurts. Please let me know if you have done the same thing. Any advices?

If all the world tells you don't have ability to finish the program I believe you wouldn't care as far as you believe in yourself and your abilities. Do you have enough self confidence? Why should being in 30s be matter? I know a lot of not perfect ( even not good!) people who finished their program. Graduate studies is not about finding perfect people and giving them degrees, you can be average person but make the effort to be done.

Can you start regular meeting even for 15 min per week (or every couple of weeks) with them? Then try to show yourself confident about your ideas in the meetings.

5 years is not a short time. You can't lose this. You should have started to talk regularly to your supervisor long time a go but it is not late to start now.