Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., called out in a new interview what he believes to be “absolutely absurd” pandering to extreme Democrats over issues like the war in Israel or shutting down the government.
Fetterman spoke to Jewish Insider on Monday about his ongoing conflict with some members of his party, particularly over his support for Israel. However, his latest issue with the more “extreme” members of his party came from their demand that Democrats refuse to support a GOP bill to fund the government earlier this month.
Fetterman was one of ten Democrats who broke ranks to vote for the bill and called out attempts to “pander” to calls for the government to shut down.
FETTERMAN URGES DEMOCRATS TO TALK LIKE ‘REGULAR’ PEOPLE INSTEAD OF RANTING ABOUT ‘OLIGARCHS’
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., attacked his party’s positions on a spending bill earlier this month. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo, Pool)
“I was really the first Democrat to refuse to shut our government down, and my party was so desperate to pander to shut the government down,” Fetterman said. “Absurd, absolutely absurd. Six months ago, we were lecturing the Republicans, ‘You can’t shut the government down.’ Now it’s, ‘Well, yeah, let’s do these things.’”
He added, “It’s like that’s part of the problem, to pander, and they want to pander to the extreme parts of our party, to shut the government down. I said I will never burn the village down and claim that I’m saving it.”
Fetterman also pointed to Michigan as an example of political “pandering” that failed, claiming the Democratic Party tried to appeal to the left-wing Arab-American population only to lose the state to President Donald Trump anyway.
He specifically called out Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., for refusing to support President Joe Biden and later Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election because of their support for Israel. Fetterman claimed that she and other far-left Democrats ultimately helped to elect Trump.
FETTERMAN SAYS DEMOCRATIC PARTY BRAND IS ‘TOXIC’ THANKS TO CONSTANT ‘SHAMING AND SCOLDING’
Fetterman called out Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib as an example of an extreme Democrat. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Take Back the Court Action Fund)
“[N]ow they’re yelling about how terrible Trump is, and you helped elect him, and your base and your home city delivered to Trump, and now … that’s emblematic of where our party was,” Fetterman said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman and Tlaib’s offices for a comment.
Fetterman called out another far-left Democratic representative on Friday when he fired back at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., over her suggestion that Democrats “fight harder” after she urged her party to vote against the spending measure in the Senate.
“Fight ‘harder’—a stunt that would have harmed millions and plunged us into chaos,” Fetterman wrote when sharing a screenshot featuring a quotation of Ocasio-Cortez’s comment. “We kept our government open. Deal with it.”
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., listens to the testimony of the witnesses during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing with Sanctuary City Mayors on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, March 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.) (AP)
