When a U.S. senator tells his own party to “cut the shit,” you know the political theater has worn thin — and that’s exactly where Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania finds himself, 23 days into the Schumer Shutdown.
Fetterman, who’s quickly earning a reputation as one of the more unfiltered voices in the Senate, is breaking ranks with party leadership in a very public way. Following a failed Senate vote to guarantee pay for essential federal workers and military personnel during the shutdown, Fetterman made clear that his patience with the partisan games is gone.
“Just open up the whole thing and just cut the shit,” he said, frustrated that the American people — not politicians — are the ones getting squeezed. “I don’t care about who’s winning, who’s losing, who’s going to blink. America loses.”
It’s a message many outside the Beltway likely agree with. While politicians on both sides posture, millions of Americans are watching their paychecks stall, their SNAP benefits inch toward expiration, and their faith in government thin to the breaking point.
Fetterman was one of only three Democrats who backed the GOP-authored bill to pay federal employees and troops during the shutdown. It didn’t pass, blocked by the usual procedural walls — but the real wall seems to be within the Democratic Party itself.
Chuck Schumer and most Senate Democrats have made it clear they’ll continue blocking reopening efforts unless Republicans agree to a laundry list of unrelated policy demands — including extended Obamacare subsidies. For the leadership, it’s all about negotiation leverage. But for Fetterman, the cost of that leverage is too steep.
He pointed out that Pennsylvania — his home state — has two million SNAP recipients and over 400,000 people relying on tax credits for health insurance. “That’s a double whammy,” he said. “That is the Democrats’ Sophie’s Choice. Hungry people, and health insurance. I want them both, but I just strongly disagree with what’s the appropriate tactic.”
In other words, he’s not arguing against the policies — he’s questioning the strategy. And he’s not alone.
GOP lawmakers have accused Democrats of using unpaid workers and vulnerable Americans as bargaining chips in a high-stakes standoff. Democrats, in turn, argue that giving partial funding now — even just to pay essential workers — would allow Trump to decide who gets paid and who doesn’t, a power they claim could be abused. It’s a philosophical argument over process. But in the real world, workers just want to pay rent, put food on the table, and get through the month.
Next week, the Senate will take up a narrower proposal from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) that would ensure airport workers are paid. Expect a repeat of this same debate: Democrats holding out for leverage, Republicans pushing piecemeal relief, and Fetterman likely standing with the latter.
