Fetterman Drops Bombshell About Democratic Party Leadership

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) broke ranks with his party this week, openly criticizing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democrats for their handling of the historic government shutdown — the longest in U.S. history.

During an interview Tuesday on Fox & Friends, Fetterman said Schumer “never” reached out to him about the shutdown negotiations, contradicting an Axios report claiming the New York Democrat had privately urged moderates to hold the line until the start of Obamacare’s open enrollment period on Nov. 1.

“I was not in a conversation or I never got any outreach,” Fetterman said, adding that “everyone understood” his position.

The Pennsylvania senator emphasized that he had long supported keeping the government open, reminding viewers that he “led the charge” earlier in the year to prevent a shutdown.

“It’s always a hard yes to keep our government open,” he said. “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.”

Fetterman was among eight Democrats and Democrat-aligned independents who voted Monday night to reopen the federal government — doing so without extracting any concessions from Republicans on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, according to the New York Post.

He condemned the shutdown as a political stunt that betrayed working Americans.

“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,” he said, calling the Democrat strategy an “absolute failure” and warning that “Americans are not leverage.”

When asked by co-host Lawrence Jones who was leading the Democratic Party in Congress, Fetterman gave a blunt answer.

“No one really knows,” he admitted. “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 has frequently distanced himself from the party’s far-left faction, taking a notably pro-Israel stance and rebuking the aggressive, all-or-nothing politics of progressive activists.

“I think my party crossed a line of now putting 42 million Americans 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.”

The revised government funding bill — passed Monday night — keeps the federal government open through Jan. 30, 2026, with full funding for veterans’ programs, SNAP benefits, and congressional operations through September. The House is expected to follow suit.

Fetterman also used the interview to promote his new memoir, Unfettered, released Tuesday, chronicling his public career and battle with depression.

“If anyone feels lost or they’re in the throes of depression, you know, I beg people, please, please stay in this game, because I promise you — you will get better,” he said. “Three years ago, you know, I was in the depths of that depression, and now I’ve emerged as a [U.S.] senator.”