Fetterman has been a gadfly for Democrats. And he’s only making it harder for them.
Because now he exposed who really runs the Democrat Party.
Fetterman Exposes Democrat Leadership Vacuum in Shutdown Debacle
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) laid bare the disarray gripping Senate Democrats Tuesday, confirming Minority Leader Chuck Schumer never consulted him on the record-breaking government shutdown and admitting “no one really knows” who is steering the party’s fractured caucus.
Schumer’s Secret Pressure Campaign Bypasses Moderates, Risks 42 Million Americans
Appearing on Fox & Friends, Fetterman revealed he was excluded from Schumer’s mid-October push to keep the government shuttered until ObamaCare open enrollment, despite leading the charge to avoid closures since March.
“I was not in a conversation or I never got any outreach,” said Fetterman, adding that “everyone understood” his position.
“I really kind of led the charge [to keep the government open] back in March. And then I said, ‘I know we’ll be back in September.’ And I said, ‘I know where my vote will be then, too.’”
Fetterman joined seven other Democrats and independents Monday night to end the longest shutdown in U.S. history without Democrat demands for ObamaCare subsidy extensions—prioritizing paychecks for troops, Capitol Police, and 42 million SNAP recipients over partisan games.
“It’s always a hard yes to keep our government open,” he explained Tuesday.
“I mean, that’s my principle, because it’s wrong to shut our government down. And now we knew that we would put [at risk] those 42 million Americans for SNAP and paying our military and, you know, the Capitol Police. I mean, people have went five weeks without being paid. I mean, that’s a violation of my core values. And I think it’s [a violation of] our party’s [values] as well.”
“I think my party crossed a line of now putting 42 American — excuse me, 42 million Americans with — with their SNAP benefits [expiring],” Fetterman said. “And making flying less safe and that kind of chaos and not paying our military. I mean, that was a red line for me that I can’t cross as a Democrat.”
“No One Really Knows” Who Runs Democrats as Big-Tent Crumbles
Pressed by co-host Lawrence Jones on current Democratic leadership in both chambers, Fetterman delivered a stunning indictment of the party’s rudderless state.
“No one really knows,” Fetterman said. “My values are reflected in my vote and the things that I support here, and if that might put me at odds with parts of my party, I’m okay with that. I mean, we need to be a … big tent party.”
The hoodie-clad senator, a vocal pro-Israel moderate, has repeatedly rejected progressive demands for scorched-earth obstruction, warning the shutdown endangered national security and working families while exposing Democrat disunity.
The Senate-passed funding bill runs through Jan. 30, 2026, with full SNAP and veterans support through September—set for House approval Wednesday.
