Fetterman says government shutdown has been ‘very isolating’

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said Sunday that the government shutdown has been “very isolating.”

Fetterman is one of three members of the Senate Democratic Conference to vote for a Republican-backed proposal to fund the government through Nov. 21, along with Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) and Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

“For me, it’s been very isolating, honestly,” Fetterman told Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures.” The first-term senator compared the situation to his steadfast support of Israel, which has put him at odds with the progressive wing of his party.

On Thursday, senators departed Washington without an agreement to end the shutdown, which began on Oct. 1 and is closing in on two weeks. The upper chamber is off on Monday because of the federal holiday and returns Tuesday.

The GOP-backed proposal, which passed the House on Sept. 19, has been called “clean” by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). The vast majority of Senate Democrats, though, have voted against it, citing their desire to include a permanent extension of subsidies offered under the Affordable Care Act. 

But Fetterman has said he will never vote to shut down the government and said on Sept.  30 that a shutdown would benefit President Trump. The White House Office of Management and Budget began laying off what it called a “substantial” number of workers across the federal government on Friday. 

Fetterman added Sunday that “regardless of [what] the base might want,” he will continue voting to fund the government.

“My kinds of positions are reasonable, because I’m not [going to] follow just the party line, I’m [going to] think, ‘Hey, independently, this is important.’ And this is, I happen to believe that’s true,” he said.