John Fetterman breaks rank and says Democrats must 'own' role in shutdown as SNAP benefits run dry

WASHINGTON, DC: Senator John Fetterman said on Sunday, November 2, that Democrats "really need to own this shutdown," which has left millions of Americans without food assistance and paychecks.

Speaking on CNN’s 'State of the Union', Fetterman called it “deeply distressing” that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have dried up for millions as the stalemate in Congress continues.

He told host Jake Tapper that he refuses "to put 42 million Americans in the kind of food insecurity."

Fetterman is one of only three Senate Democrats who have repeatedly sided with Republicans on a short-term funding bill that would reopen the government through November 21.

John Fetterman says Democrats are 'fighting for working people'

The first-term senator said that the economic and personal toll of the shutdown was unacceptable, particularly for union members and lower-income households.

“All of the pain Americans are feeling right now could be resolved if we just reopen our government,” he said.

“We are the party that is fighting for working people. Now, as far as I’m aware, every single union that’s involved in this now is demanding that we reopen,” he added.

Fetterman’s comments align with calls from major labor groups frustrated by the standoff.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest public sector union, last week, urged Senate Democrats to vote immediately to end the shutdown, even if it meant crossing party lines.

John Fetterman urges Democrats to reopen the government

While acknowledging the importance of protecting Democratic priorities, Fetterman argued that using the shutdown as leverage was a mistake.

He said that while he supports extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, one of the sticking points in negotiations, but not at the expense of government operations or essential services.

“This is something I support,” Fetterman said. “But it’s the wrong tactic. It was wrong when the Republicans did it. It’s wrong now that we seem to be driving it.”

Hakeem Jeffries criticizes the Trump administration 

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sharply criticized President Donald Trump on Saturday for failing to act immediately after a court ruling to use emergency funds to provide at least partial food assistance during the ongoing government shutdown.

“The courts have been clear, and the morality of it is clear,” Jeffries said in an interview with MSNBC.

"The Trump administration needs to release these benefits. They have the funds for a contingency situation like we confront," he said.

"But this is a choice that they have made to violate the law as part of an effort to pressure the Congress to continue to gut the health care of the American people," he added. 

"We will consider in good faith anything that emerges from the Senate in a bipartisan way that reopens the government," he stated.