Sen. John Fetterman is now reportedly standing firm in his decision to break with most of his fellow Democrats and vote to end the longest government shutdown in American history—despite the fact that Democrats now appear unlikely to secure the Obamacare tax credit extensions they were aggressively pushing for.
In an interview with MS NOW’s Katy Tur, the Pennsylvania Democrat insisted that reopening the government was the only responsible choice, rejecting criticism from within his own party.
During the interview, Tur pressed Fetterman on whether he regretted siding with Republicans to bring the 43-day shutdown to an end. “Do you regret ending the shutdown?” she asked. “No, we should have never shut—” Fetterman began, before Tur followed up with a question many frustrated Democrats have been asking.
Tur noted that had Democrats refused to reopen the government, they might have been able to pressure Republicans into supporting an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year and could result in “massive hikes” in health-care costs for millions of Americans. But Fetterman rejected that argument outright.
“Shutting our government down was always wrong. And I will never vote to shut our government down,” he said, defending his vote and pointing to what he described as the shutdown’s harmful effects. He argued that the 43-day lapse in funding had “plunged 42 million Americans [into] food insecurity,” framing the standoff as an unnecessary hardship inflicted on vulnerable families.
Tur pushed back by emphasizing that many of Fetterman’s own constituents are now “really worried” about losing their health coverage, noting that “time is running out” for Congress to secure a deal with Republicans before the Obamacare subsidies expire. But Fetterman remained unmoved, insisting Democrats would not have gained anything by prolonging the shutdown.
He cited a scheduled Senate vote for Thursday on extending Obamacare subsidies for three years—legislation that is widely expected to fail—as proof. “We could have got the same vote that we’re going to have on Thursday with not even shutting the government for that,” he said. “Because this vote should not be a political, you know, kind of a show vote. It really should be a vote that really has a chance to pass.”
Fetterman was one of only eight Senate Democrats who voted in November to reopen the government, a move that angered many in his party who believed Democrats gave up critical leverage. The final deal notably did not include the Obamacare extension many liberals insisted was essential, and the fallout has been sharp. Rep. Ro Khanna of California called the outcome the “final straw” for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, reflecting the simmering frustration among progressives who felt the shutdown should have continued.
Despite the backlash, Fetterman is holding his ground—insisting reopening the government was the right call, even if Democrats walk away from the fight empty-handed on Obamacare subsidies.
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