WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman warned his party against allowing the government to shut down with two fast-approaching hurricanes nearing the US East Coast.
Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has also criticized past partial shutdowns, argued that allowing the funding lapse to take place could jeopardize response efforts to Hurricane Humberto — which was previously a Category 5 storm — and Tropical Storm Imelda.
“If you have a Cat 5 storm that’s now facing our nation, why would you even have that conversation right now?” the Keystone State Democrat told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” about the shutdown fight.
“I sure [hope] things work out and we don’t shut our government down.”
If Congress fails to act and fund the government for fiscal year 2026, which starts on Oct. 1, there will be a partial shutdown after 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.
Democratic leaders have been demanding key concessions from Republicans on healthcare policy such as an extension of the COVID-19 era enhancements to the Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year; and a rollback of GOP-championed Medicaid reforms.
Hurricane Humberto intensified into a Category 5 storm Saturday but was downgraded to a Category 4 storm on Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Its current path has it moving out to sea.
Should the government enter a partial shutdown, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be restricted from renewing or selling key flood insurance policies.
Most FEMA employees are expected to work during partial government shutdowns, but the agency’s funds are quickly running dry, which could complicate its response to a significant natural disaster.
Fetterman was the only senator who voted for two stopgap measures, known as continuing resolutions (CRs), that came up for a vote in the Senate just over a week ago to avert a partial shutdown.
He backed both the “clean” CR championed by Republicans and the one favored by Democrats that would give them key wins on healthcare policy.
Given the 60-vote threshold in the Senate needed to break a filibuster, Republicans need Democratic support. The House passed the GOP-championed CR but not the one backed by Dems.
“I’m at, where I have always been, and I will always remain on is, it is always, always wrong to shut our government down,” Fetterman argued. “That is a core responsibility. I’m always going to vote against those things.”
“And if it’s the Republican side or now it’s our side, I’m going to condemn it.”
President Trump has agreed to a last-minute meeting with the top four congressional leaders on Monday to discuss the looming shutdown fight.
That same day, he will also meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Fetterman praised Trump’s support for Israel.
“Overall, I have been very pleased [with] the way the president has backed Israel,” the senator said. “I think I was the only Democrat that supported the [attack on the] Iranian nuclear facilities.”
“I do think it’s astonishing [that] you have our allies … going to recognize Palestine, when you have human beings held underground, tortured and starved going on two years,” he added.
