Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is once again at odds with his own party, this time blasting Senate Democrats for bringing the country to the brink of a government shutdown over a partisan wish list. In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Fetterman made it clear he won’t play along with the left’s reckless strategy—even if that means breaking ranks with leadership.
Fetterman didn’t hesitate to call out the Democrats’ tactics when Bash asked him about the possibility of a shutdown. “Yes, I know. It does seem that,” he said of the looming shutdown. “And I have been—at least been one that says, hey, now I would love to restore a lot of those health care things. That’s the right outcome, but that’s a dangerous tactic if you are going to shut the government down for one of our policies.”
Fetterman admitted he supports the policy goals in question, but condemned his party’s approach. “It is absolutely the wrong thing for a lot of reasons that we’re going to shut our government down,” he said. “I condemned it when the Republicans threatened to do that thing, and it’s entirely wrong for us to do the same thing now.”
That’s a direct shot at Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has tried to shift blame to Republicans in advance. When Bash pressed him on whether Democrats would shoulder responsibility if the shutdown happens, Fetterman didn’t offer a neat political talking point. “I really—I don’t know. I don’t know,” he admitted. “But what people will know is that that’s going to have a profound impact on millions of Americans, and that’s the wrong kinds of chaos that our country needs right now.”
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Fetterman even warned that Democrats would be handing power straight to the Trump administration’s allies if the government closes. “If you are concerned by a lot of these changes that have occurred during the Trump presidency, why would you turn over a shuttered government over to [Russ] Vought and the OMB to effectively remake the government in all kinds of ways?” he asked. “I refuse to be a part of things to empower individuals that really want to take away union workers and eliminate more kinds of parts of the government.”
Fetterman framed his stance as a matter of principle, not party loyalty. “I will be a Democrat, and I understand that our base wants these kinds of things, but I will be an honest Democrat that says, hey, I think that’s not it,” he said. “I don’t agree with the vast majority of the things that have happened, but now I refuse to add massive chaos under this.”
As for whether he has support from other Democrats, Fetterman admitted he wasn’t sure: “I haven’t gotten a straight answer from any of my colleagues what that is. Will the votes be there or not? I have said it will be there for me, not because I—I voted for the Democratic C.R. to restore all of those kinds of health care things. And I also believe it’s not the kinds of chaos that our country can withstand at this point.”
Fetterman may be blunt, but he’s not wrong. For all the spin Schumer and company try to push, it’s obvious who will be responsible for a government shutdown if it happens. Fetterman knows it, and he’s saying out loud what the rest of his party doesn’t want to admit: if the government shuts down, the chaos will have a blue stamp on it, and Democrats alone will own the fallout.
Sen. Fetterman’s brutal honesty exposed the dangerous game his party is playing over the government shutdown. While the mainstream media covers for Schumer’s reckless tactics, PJ Media brings you the truth they won’t tell. Support fearless conservative journalism that puts America First—join PJ Media VIP with promo code FIGHT for 60% off. Don’t wait, join today!
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