Poor Anchovies.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is facing significant backlash from fellow Democrats for breaking ranks and repeatedly voting with Republicans on continuing resolutions to end the ongoing Schumer shutdown, which has stretched into its 35th day as of November 2, 2025.
Fetterman's outspoken criticism of his party's strategy centered on leveraging the shutdown to secure extensions of Affordable Care Act health subsidies has amplified intra-party tensions, with him labeling the tactic "embarrassing," an "absolute failure," and a cause of unnecessary "suffering" for millions reliant on programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), which lost funding on November 1.
Fetterman has been one of just three non-Republicans (alongside Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine) to support GOP-led bills to fund the government through November 21 or longer, voting for such measures over a dozen times while nearly all other Senate Democrats have blocked them.
In interviews, he's urged Democrats to "own the shutdown" and prioritize reopening the government before negotiating subsidies, arguing that "hungry Americans" and unpaid federal workers, including military personnel and Capitol Police, shouldn't be used as bargaining chips.
He has vowed to put "country over party," even if it costs him support within his base, and compared the isolation he's feeling to backlash he received for his pro-Israel stance.
The criticism from Democrats has been pointed and public.
Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer's office and allies have dismissed Fetterman's votes as undermining party unity during a high-stakes fight against the Trump administration, with some accusing him of handing Republicans a political win by fracturing the caucus.
Progressive voices and commentators have piled on, calling his position a betrayal, labeling him a "defector" or "MAGA-lite"
One attack from a Democrat activist highlighted growing "tension" in the caucus, quoting Fetterman as accusing his own party of "playing chicken with the food security of 42 million" Americans.
Even moderate Democrats like Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) have indirectly rebuked the approach by trying to refocus blame on the administration rather than engaging Fetterman's calls for compromise.
This isn't Fetterman's first clash with party tactics; he led a similar bipartisan push in March 2025 to avert a shutdown, drawing "blowback" then as well.
However, the current standoff, fueled by Democrat demands for subsidy extensions amid expiring COVID-era provisions, has elevated the stakes, with Fetterman's defiance spotlighting cracks in Democrat unity just weeks before key ACA deadlines.
As the Schumer shutdown risks becoming the longest since 1981, Fetterman's stance continues to draw ire from Democrats who view him as a "traitor".
nypost.com
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