Fetterman supports eliminating filibuster to break government shutdown stalemate

[Polybius]

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

WASHINGTON —Three weeks into what’s become the longest full government shutdown in history, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman said he would fully endorse the idea of Republicans bypassing the filibuster rule so they could pass their spending plan without any Democratic support.

The Pennsylvania Democrat has bucked his party since the shutdown began, repeatedly voting for the GOP plan despite Democrats insisting that it include an extension of expiring healthcare credits.

But ending the filibuster would make Mr. Fetterman’s vote — or the support of any Democratic senator — unnecessary. Instead of requiring 60 votes to pass, it would allow the spending bill to pass with a simple majority.

“That would make it virtually impossible to shut it down,” Mr. Fetterman told reporters Tuesday.

Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2025/10/22/fetterman-government-shutdown-filibuster/stories/202510220057

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. You know, of course, if Dems were in the majority

And trying to kill the filibuster to expand the court, he would be opposed.

He will be forcibly retired at the end of his term.

[Wiz Imp]

13. WRONG. He has maintained a position of being in favor of abolishing the filibuster

from the day his campaign first started.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/10/politics/john-fetterman-filibuster-senate-race

John Fetterman wants Democrats to stop wasting time and eliminate the filibuster
Published 7:01 AM EDT, Fri September 10, 2021
John Fetterman thinks Senate Democrats are making a big mistake.

The party has a rare opportunity with a majority in Congress and control of the White House. But Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor who is running for Senate, fears Democrats are wasting that opportunity by not eliminating the filibuster and failing to enact key priorities.

“Stop apologizing for the space we take up as a party and ram some stuff through and get it done,” Fetterman said in an interview with CNN. “As a Democrat, I would just hate to be in a position of only being able to accomplish what Mitch McConnell allows us to.”

“When you have the kind of extreme measures that are being used by the Republicans, now is the time to stand together. These are dangerous times,” he said. “I guarantee the Republicans, given the chance, would be far more ruthless.”

[Deminpenn]

19. Correct, Thank you

Iirc, Fetterman voters and supporters were 100% on board with that idea.

[angrychair]

21. Irrelevant

Fetterman endorsement of a Republican plan to sabotage healthcare and kill millions of people is a betrayal of the trust his voters put in him.

[Fiendish Thingy]

22. He has changed his positions on many issues since being elected.

I don’t trust him.

[Wiz Imp]

23. How about naming some of those "many" positions he's changed?

[Fiendish Thingy]

24. Are you saying you're unaware of his switches on policy and opposing Dems' agenda?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/fetterman-elected-challenge-convention-now-054552285.html

https://www.mcall.com/2025/01/18/fetterman-was-elected-to-challenge-convention-now-hes-challenging-his-fellow-democrats/

https://www.newsweek.com/john-fetterman-not-progressive-democrat-border-1862802

[Wiz Imp]

25. I'm saying none of those articles points to a single position he has changed

other than being labeled "progressive".

[fujiyamasan]

2. Fettermanchinema

[Wiz Imp]

14. He's the exact opposite of Manchin and Sinema.

He was begging for the Democrats to eliminate the filibuster in 2021 and Manchin and Sinema would not do it.

[markodochartaigh]

3. The Republicans could end their shutdown of governmental services

anytime they wanted by voting to get rid of the filibuster, even if it was only for this vote. It is the Republicans' filibuster and they will end it when they want to end it.

[pat_k]

11. Of course they could. But they won't. They are hellbent on making Democrats accomplices.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143551917#post9

[bluestarone]

4. Come on 2028

[johnnyfins]

5. This fucking guy...eyeroll

[Gore1FL]

6. I'll happily say goodbye to the filibuster. It's a product of slave states, and has been abused by the GOP for years.

They are going to cause major damage no matter how this all plays out. At least this way, the GOP will own every bit of it.

[Mike Nelson]

7. Ending the 60 vote...

... filibuster level should NEVER be ended when Republicans are in the majority!

[JBTaurus83]

8. I actually agree

End it and let them pass their own piece of shit. Eventually we the people will regain the senate, and they will regret their many poor decisions.

[maxsolomon]

32. "We the People" aren't regaining the Senate anytime soon. Not this decade.

There are too many low-population states that are just lost to Dems.

[pat_k]

9. Too bad republicans are hellbent on making Democrats accomplices to the most unpopular budget ever.

Last edited Wed Oct 22, 2025, 09:58 PM - Edit history (1)

They won't use the nuclear option because Republicans absolutely don't want to own this. They want to be able to say "If Democrats objected, they could have stopped it."

It sounds insane, condemning Democrats for stopping it while praying they can force Democrats to cave so they can spread the blame for implementing the MAGA Murder Budget around.

Internal consistency has never a problem for these crazy people.

[ananda]

10. Isn't that precious?

Of course he does.

[Shellback Squid]

12. bless his heart

[mdbl]

15. He's a true upside-down patriot.

[Wiz Imp]

16. Most people here complained loudly for 4 years of Biden's Presidency about the

Democrats not eliminating the filibuster. Amazingly, many of these same people are now perfectly willing to be total hypocrites and going crazy when a person who has opposed the filibuster from day one of his Senate campaign announces his position on the filibuster hasn't changed. Sheesh.

Or do some people here actually think it's possible for the Democrats to eliminate the filibuster for themselves but require it to still be enforced by Republicans? For the record, Democrats have eliminated the filibuster for Cabinet (and other Presidential nominees) nominations and Judicial nominations. Republicans eliminated it for Supreme Court nominations. There is no going back on any of these. If the filibuster had never been eliminated, we wouldn't have the horrific cabinet we have now, but we also would never have gotten numerous Biden Cabinet appointees confirmed either.

It's going to get eliminated completely at some point. Republicans eliminating it now would mean the Republicans would COMPLETELY own every single bad thing that happens going forward. Nothing could be blamed on Democrats. It's for that reason that Republicans are unlikely to eliminate it.

[BComplex]

18. But there would be no democracy left if the republicans had "complete" control.

It may be too late as it is.

[Wiz Imp]

20. If Republicans believed that were true, the filibuster would already be gone.

[Username1234]

26. You're the only one talking sense

Historically, the filibuster has been used to protect conservative priorities, and negate progressive ones. It was also never meant to be used in this way.

If Democrats actually had some blood smelling sharks in their midst, they would understand it’s a good thing. And let MAGAts own the disaster that follows.

BE AN OPPOSITION PARTY, DEMS!

[MichMan]

28. I think centrists on either side are afraid to get rid of it because they know the other side will regain power someday

[herding cats]

17. You know what? This has always been his stance.

I'm not kidding. Look it up.

Yep. The more time goes by the more I keep seeing people acting as if he's a whole new animal than he was when he was elected as a "Progressive" and a populist. Due to the stroke, don't ya know.

I'm beginning to think maybe some folks saw what they wanted to see because of some high profile endorsements he had. After that they just stopped vetting and started blindly following.

[LudwigPastorius]

27. Fetterman is a drooling moron if he believes the Republicans will actually negotiate an extension after the...

filibuster is eliminated and the GOP spending bill is passed.

THEY DON'T GIVE A FUCK, John. They are all in on Trump's authoritarian takeover, and no long believe that they have any obligation whatsoever to voters.

[quakerboy]

29. It seems that stroke really did a number on him

Really sucks.

[2naSalit]

30. When is his...

Term up?

[republianmushroom]

31. DINO, Here DINO ?