John Fetterman says ‘no one really knows’ who’s running the show in the Democratic Party

WASHINGTON, DC: Sen John Fetterman has admitted that “no one really knows” who’s calling the shots for Democrats in either the Senate or the House.

Appearing on Fox & Friends Tuesday, November 11, the Pennsylvania Democrat said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer “never” talked to him during the longest government shutdown in US history.

“I was not in a conversation or I never got any outreach,” he said, noting that “everyone understood” his position.

John Fetterman on breaking with Democrats to reopen govt

The 56-year-old senator was reacting to an Axios report that Schumer had quietly leaned on a group of moderate Democrats back in mid-October to keep the government closed until at least November 1, the start of Obamacare open enrollment. But Fetterman said nobody bothered to loop him in.

“I really kind of led the charge [to keep the government open] back in March,” he recalled. “And then I said, ‘I know we’ll be back in September.’ And I said, ‘I know where my vote will be then, too.’”

Fetterman was among eight Democrats and Democrat-aligned independents who voted Monday night to reopen the government without demanding the GOP agree to extend Obamacare subsidies past this year.

“It’s always a hard yes to keep our government open,” he said. “I mean, that’s my principle, because it’s wrong to shut our government down. And now we knew that we would put [at risk] those 42 million Americans for SNAP and paying our military and, you know, the Capitol Police. I mean, people have went five weeks without being paid. I mean, that’s a violation of my core values. And I think it’s [a violation of] our party’s [values] as well.” 

'No one really knows' who is leading the Democrats

Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones asked the Senator, “Who is running the show now in the Democratic Party, in the Senate, in the House?”

“No one really knows,” Fetterman said. “My values are reflected in my vote and the things that I support here, and if that might put me at odds with parts of my party, I’m okay with that. I mean, we need to be a … big tent party.”

The hoodie-loving lawmaker has made a name for himself as a wild card who is equal parts populist and progressive skeptic. While he’s a bona fide Democrat, he’s not afraid to break from the pack on issues like Israel.

“I think my party crossed a line of now putting 42 American — excuse me, 42 million Americans with — with their SNAP benefits [expiring],” he said. “And making flying less safe, and that kind of chaos, and not paying our military. I mean, that was a red line for me that I can’t cross as a Democrat.”

John Fetterman drops memoir after shutdown ends

The new Senate-approved funding bill will keep the government open until January 30, 2026, while funding for SNAP, veterans programs, and congressional operations is covered through September 30. The House is expected to sign off on it on Wednesday.

During his Fox appearance, Fetterman also plugged his new memoir 'Unfettered' which dropped Tuesday. The book tracks his public life, his battles in Washington, as well as his personal fight with depression.

“For me, you know, my message was very, very simple: if anyone feels lost or they’re in the throes of depression, you know, I beg people, please, please stay in this game, because I promise you — you will get better,” he said. “Three years ago, you know, I was in the depths of that depression, and now I’ve emerged as a [US] senator.”

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