Democratic Senator John Fetterman Launches Scathing Critique of His Own Party
In a comprehensive and far-reaching interview, Democratic Senator John Fetterman has delivered a blistering rebuke to his own party for withholding funds and effectively shutting down the Department of Homeland Security. The Pennsylvania Senator asserted that the Democratic Party's most significant liability heading into the midterm elections is their tendency to make patronising remarks towards constituents.
'I Don't Treat Voters Like Children'
'I don't treat voters like children,' Fetterman declared to Politico's White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns during an appearance on The Conversation podcast, when questioned about the approaching election. He elaborated that Democrats frequently talk down to voters when 'trying to explain why it's wrong to shut our government down.'
Fetterman further clarified his decision to break ranks with his party by becoming the sole Democrat to vote in favour of DHS funding. Despite this, he reiterated his firm position that it is time for Secretary Kristi Noem to be dismissed from leading the department responsible for immigration enforcement.
'I'm always trying to be reasonable, and trying to be the voice of reason in increasingly unreasonable kinds of times,' he stated in the interview, which was released the day after the Senate conducted a vote on whether to continue funding DHS.
The Lone Democratic Vote for DHS Funding
The Pennsylvania Democrat stood alone within his party in voting to advance a full-year funding package for DHS. This action aligned with his long-standing opposition to any government shutdowns. However, the remainder of his colleagues in the upper chamber compelled the withholding of that funding.
Senator John Fetterman emphasised that Democrats must cease treating voters 'like children' if they aspire to secure victory in the 2026 midterms, while simultaneously condemning his party for voting to shut down DHS.
Although Fetterman concurs with the necessity for ICE reform, he contends that voting against DHS funding merely harms other agencies within the Department, such as FEMA, the Coast Guard, and CISA.
Arguing Against the Shutdown's Impact
He argued in a post on X following the vote that opposing the bill would accomplish nothing to halt Immigration and Customs Enforcement from persisting with their operations.
'Shutting DHS down has zero impact and zero changes for ICE,' he wrote on X. 'ICE has $75B in funding from Trump BBB that I did not vote for. But it will hit FEMA, Coast Guard, TSA and our Cybersecurity Agency.'
'As a Democrat, I can't vote to shut down critical parts of our government,' the senator added.
Fetterman maintains that ICE reforms are essential, but he believes that shutting down DHS is more of a virtue signal from his colleagues without any genuine progress towards achieving that objective.
Criticising Political Theatre
He articulated this perspective during the sit-down on Politico's podcast.
'It's almost becoming some kind of a perverse kinds of entertainment,' he remarked regarding Democrats flip-flopping on shutdowns and the filibuster, in particular.
'It's like the 'Real Housewives of Washington, DC' where we're fighting about this stuff… and suddenly it's moved onto something else, or a dumb tweet,' he continued. 'The important things aren't really getting addressed.'
When discussing the upcoming midterms with Burns, he noted that polling appears unfavourable for Democrats as the party endeavours to regain control in Congress to obstruct President Donald Trump's agenda.
Polling and Party Brand Concerns
'I mean, have you seen the last polling? You know, our brand continues to drop,' he pointed out. 'I just want to be… a Democrat that it's like 'hey, I have these values and … and that's why I vote this way.''
Nevertheless, one area where Fetterman does align with his party is in demanding Noem's removal from leading DHS. Fetterman concurs that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem should be ousted following the failure in Minnesota last month that resulted in the deaths of two Americans protesting ICE operations.
Calling for Noem's Dismissal
Fetterman, in a somewhat ambiguous statement, seemed to indicate to Burns that he contacted Trump to convey that Noem needed to be removed.
'You have a Mayorkas on your administration, President Trump. Mayorkas is not illegal, but he's, you know, incompetent and not doing his job,' Fetterman recounted.
'You said that to Trump about DHS Secretary Noem?' Burns prompted for clarity.
He replied: 'Yeah, well, that's why I said that because I say less hoping – and it seems to like, it might matter more.' 'And after what happened in Minneapolis it's entirely appropriate,' he continued. 'It's like, I don't know why you want to hang on to this.'
Two Americans were killed last month by DHS agents with ICE and CBP in two separate incidents where they were protesting immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota. This has provoked widespread and bipartisan demands for reforms within the Department.
