Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) said he’d back a Republican plan to override the Senate filibuster if it meant passing a bill to reopen the government. In an interview with The Inquirer Tuesday, Fetterman admonished fellow Democrats who balk at the notion of using the so-called “nuclear option” to end the filibuster: “When I ran for Senate, everyone including myself said we’ve got to get rid of the filibuster. I don’t want to see any Democrats clutching their pearls about it now. “If we’d had our way, the filibuster wouldn’t have been around for years.” A traditional staple of the Senate that’s long been debated, the filibuster requires 60 votes to pass legislation in the Senate. Republicans have long vowed to protect the filibuster, noting that the 60-vote threshold presents a check on Democrats when they have the majority but its now the rule standing in the way of their government funding bill. And in recent months, leaders have made moves to further weaken the minority party’s power, including bypassing the need to get Democratic support to confirm a slate of President Trump’s nominees last month. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has thus far said he won’t use the same tactic to reopen the government. Fetterman’s comments on Tuesday followed several Republicans floating the idea of getting rid of the filibuster in recent days. Fetterman is one of three members of the Democratic caucus who voted with Republicans to reopen the government earlier this month, joining Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Angus King, a Maine independent. “If you look at my record, I’ve been voting the Democratic line, but this is different now. The tactic is wrong, Fetterman said. He said his main concern is the possibility that people in the state and across the country would face hunger if the federal government shutdown continues and Americans lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits beginning Nov. 1. “Nobody checks their political party when they’re hungry,” he said. “It’s not about a political side blinking. The only losers are the American people now.” Fetterman added that he’s in favor of extending tax credits, as Democrats are demanding during the shutdown. With those tax credits set to expire, people are going to start seeing higher prices when they sign up for health insurance come open enrollment in November, experts say. “I don’t want people clobbered,” Fetterman said. “But Democrats designed them to expire this year. We passed these things when we were in the majority.” Seeing room for dialogue, Fetterman said Thune of South Dakota “is an honorable man and I believe a productive conversation to extend tax credits can be had with him.” In 2022, according to the media and politics site Mediaite, every Senate Democrat with the exceptions of former Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona voted to eliminate the filibuster in a failed effort to pass former President Joe Biden’s elections overhaul. A sometimes contrary figure, Fetterman has taken controversial stands in the past and is one of few Democrats who actively works with Republicans. He’s been criticized by progressives for his unwavering support of Israel in its war against Hamas.
