Fetterman Blasts His Own Party, Backs GOP Plan to End Schumer’s Shutdown Stalemate

In a stunning rebuke of his party’s leadership, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania sided with Republicans in demanding an immediate end to the ongoing government shutdown — now in its 25th day — accusing fellow Democrats of playing political “three-card monte” while Americans suffer.

Appearing Saturday on Fox News’ Saturday in America with host Kayleigh McEnany, Fetterman said he’s frustrated by Democratic leaders’ refusal to reopen the government before negotiating over Obamacare premium subsidies — the key sticking point Democrats are using to stall a deal with Republicans.

“For me, I don’t check, ‘Are we winning?’, ‘Are we losing?’ because I guarantee America is losing in this place right now,” Fetterman told McEnany.

The freshman senator, who has repeatedly broken ranks with his party throughout the shutdown, has voted in favor of multiple GOP-backed continuing resolutions (CRs) to fund the government and restore pay for military service members.

“I believe there’s a critical mass of my fellow Democrats that are dug in,” he said, adding that Senate Majority Leader John Thune “is an honorable guy” capable of negotiating “a sincere conversation after we can open it [the government] up.”

Fetterman then blasted the Democratic leadership’s negotiation tactics, likening them to a con game:

“And then, we don’t have to do this three-card monte, about, you know, do this, do that, do the other thing,” he said.

The senator urged colleagues to stop holding vital programs hostage, referencing SNAP — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — which provides food aid to roughly 42 million Americans, including 2 million in his home state. SNAP is projected to run out of funding by November 2025 if the shutdown continues.

“Let’s just open it up, and then we have our SNAP, we have everyone’s paid,” Fetterman said. “And then we can have that conversation and see if we can extend those tax credit deals because I believe there are enough Republicans that would like to see that too.”

When McEnany asked whether Republicans should consider eliminating the Senate filibuster to end the gridlock, Fetterman surprisingly agreed.

“I think it’s entirely appropriate,” he said.

The filibuster, a longstanding Senate procedure requiring 60 votes for most legislation, has been used by Democrats more than a dozen times to block GOP efforts to end the shutdown — despite the party’s past promises to abolish it.

“I would remind all of us — the Democrats — we wanted to nuke the entire filibuster. I’m referring to right now carving out,” Fetterman added. “I’m not talking about eliminating the entire filibuster.”

He argued that carving out the rule could help prevent future shutdowns “regardless if it’s the Democrats or the Republicans doing these things.”

In recent days, Fetterman has not minced words about his party’s hypocrisy. “We ran on that. We ran on killing the filibuster, and now we love it,” he told reporters Tuesday.

And in his trademark blunt style, he dismissed the political theater dominating Washington.

“Just open up the whole thing and just cut the shit. I don’t care about who’s winning, who’s losing, who’s going to blink,” Fetterman said Thursday.

His defiance underscores growing tension within the Democratic Party, as some lawmakers begin to question Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s strategy — while President Donald Trump and Republican leaders push to end the impasse and restore normal government operations.