Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has criticized Democrats over the government shutdown, adding that discussions on health care subsidies can take place when the government is funded.
“I follow country, then party,” Fetterman said at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday night during NewsNation's live town hall.
Fetterman said some of his constituents are angry with him over the shutdown and the state of the war between Israel and Hamas prior to the recent ceasefire.
"I would love to have a conversation on health care [subsidies]," Fetterman said. “But [the shutdown] is wrong for the country ... . I can’t vote for shutting the government down.”
Fetterman was one of three members of the Senate Democratic Conference to vote for a Republican-backed proposal to fund the government through Nov. 21, along with Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) and Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
On Sunday, the Pennsylvania senator told Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures" that the shutdown has been "very isolating," comparable to criticism he's taken over his support for Israel.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Wednesday that Senate Republicans would introduce a Pentagon spending bill on the floor on Thursday.
“We need to get the appropriations process going either way,” Thune told The Hill. “If we’re sitting around here voting every day and [Senate Democrats] keep voting to keep the government shut down, we need to be trying to move the needle on some of the other stuff that we need to get done.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats want to see what Republicans could add to the bill before they decide on a vote.
Source: The Hill - News
