❓WHAT HAPPENED: Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) admitted that Democrats are responsible for the government shutdown.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: John Fetterman, CNN’s Jake Tapper, the Trump White House, and Democrats.
📍WHEN & WHERE: November 2025, on CNN.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I feel like the Democrats really need to own the shutdown.” – John Fetterman
🎯IMPACT: The admission highlights internal conflict among Democrats over the strategy of shutting down the federal government to make tax subsidies permanent.
Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) admitted during a recent interview that his party bears responsibility for the ongoing federal government shutdown. Fetterman said, “I feel like the Democrats really need to own the shutdown. I mean, we’re shutting it down. I know why. They claim because they want to address the tax credits. And I fully support that.”
The current budget impasse stems from Democrats’ push to make permanent certain COVID-era tax subsidies tied to the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Republicans, meanwhile, have called for the passage of a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to reopen and fund the government before addressing the dispute over the subsidies.
Fetterman, who has generally supported measures to keep the government funded, emphasized his consistent record on such votes. “I voted for all of their CRs, our CRs, every single time,” he said, warning of the consequences of a prolonged shutdown. He highlighted the risks for millions of Americans dependent on federal nutrition assistance (SNAP), noting, “We can’t be putting 42 million people who rely on food stamps in danger because of political gridlock.”
Although Fetterman said he supports extending the Obamacare healthcare subsidies, he was sharply critical of his party’s tactics, arguing that using a shutdown as leverage is hypocritical. “It was wrong when the Republicans did it. It’s wrong now that we seem to be driving it,” he said.
The Pennsylvania senator’s remarks add to his growing reputation as one of the most outspoken and unconventional voices in the Democratic Party. Over the past year, Fetterman has taken several positions that have surprised members of both parties. In October, he said he would consider backing a Republican-led effort to abolish the Senate filibuster, calling the procedural tool “a weapon for gridlock.” Fetterman has also collaborated with Republican senators on legislation aimed at curbing Chinese influence in U.S. agriculture, particularly concerning the purchase of American farmland by companies linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Despite his occasional alignment with GOP priorities, Fetterman has repeatedly dismissed rumors that he might switch parties. In January, he called such speculation “amateur hour” and insisted, “It’s not gonna happen. Even if I wanted to do that, that is a rocket sled to Palookaville. I would make a pretty bad Republican.”
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