Fetterman willing to ‘pay a price’ within his base to reopen government

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., told “Hannity” on Wednesday that he’s willing to “pay a price” to help reopen the government; even if it means breaking away from his party as the shutdown enters its fourth week.

“I will always vote for country over party, and if I can pay a price within my base, that’s something I’m willing to do,” Fetterman said.

Fetterman has been outspoken in his criticism of the shutdown, citing his priorities for funding the military and Capitol Police over party politics. He noted that he was one of two Democrats who voted to keep the government open.

“I’m not afraid to speak my truth, and if I’m going to pay a penalty, I’m not afraid of that,” Fetterman told host Sean Hannity. “Shutting down our government is wrong.”

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This comes after Fetterman labeled the 22-day shutdown a “failure.” Send to X on Wednesday.

Impending cuts to critical government programs have caught the attention of the Pennsylvania Democrat.

“I refuse to vote to suspend SNAP for millions of Pennsylvanians in my state and across the country,” he insisted.

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Millions of Pennsylvanians and 42 million Americans rely on charity-purchased food Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)This helps low-income families purchase nutritious foods. The largely federally funded program is reportedly expected to be cut if the shutdown continues.

“This will be put on hold because our government is shut down,” Fetterman said. “I could never vote for this kind of mass food insecurity.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., speaks during a hearing with the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, May 20, 2025 (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Democratic senator also condemned what he called “extreme” rhetoric from party leaders, referring to President Donald Trump’s labeling as a “fascist.”

“Extremist rhetoric facilitates such extreme actions,” he said.

“I refuse to be a part of this and compare people to Hitler and stuff like that,” he added. “If that’s what it takes to win, then I refuse.”

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“We’ve lost the intrigue,” Fetterman said, warning that inflammatory language is steering the country in the wrong direction.

“I refuse to call my fellow citizens fascists, Nazis or anything like that,” Fetterman said. “If anyone wants to primary me or party wants to vote for me, I’m going to be honest and tell you it’s wrong.”

Fetterman called on both sides to return to honesty and cooperation, saying he was willing to brave the political tension if it meant defending his beliefs.

“It’s just basic humanity and we forget that we need each other,” he concluded.