Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has issued a rare apology on behalf of his party, publicly admitting that Senate Democrats have failed to end the ongoing government shutdown, now into its fourth week.
Speaking with CNN’s Manu Raju, Fetterman lamented that federal employees remain unpaid and millions of Americans could soon lose access to food assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if the stalemate continues.
“And like I said, to all of the viewers, I’m apologizing that we can’t even get our s— together and just open up our government,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman: Families Face Hunger as SNAP Funding Expires
The shutdown, now approaching a full month, has stalled critical federal services.
It has placed pressure on working families who depend on SNAP benefits.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, if the impasse continues, about 42 million Americans could lose access to the program as early as this weekend.
Fetterman said he expects to see the crisis firsthand in his home state.
“I’m saying that I’ll witness it firsthand,” he said.
“My wife, Giselle, she develops the Free Store in our community.
“It distributes food three times a week, and her lines have already got longer.
“And now, I will encounter people that have no SNAP benefits starting on Saturday, and I don’t have an explanation for them.”
‘It’s an Absolute Failure’
Fetterman did not mince words about his own party’s performance.
“All I could say is I’m sorry,” he told CNN.
“It’s an absolute failure — what occurred here for the last month — and now things are really going to land.
“And imagine being a parent with a couple kids and how you’re going to fill the refrigerator and pack their lunches and get on with their lives when the things that they’ve depended on now is gone because we can’t even agree to just open things up.”
The Pennsylvania Democrat also criticized party leadership for refusing to reach an agreement with Republicans to reopen the government.
“If a Democrat — you know, we’re not allowed to just open this up, I mean, then our party has bigger problems than I thought we might have already,” he said.
“It’s like, that’s not controversial. Pay everybody.”
Fetterman noted that many federal workers have been forced to take on debt to survive the shutdown.
“And you have our workers here borrowed over a third of a billion dollars to pay their own bills,” he said.
“Like, it’s a failure,” he added.
WATCH:
Shutdown Drags Into Fourth Week
The Senate remains deadlocked, with Democrats and Republicans unable to agree on a short-term spending bill to fund the government and restore federal paychecks.
While President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have urged Senate Democrats to pass a clean funding resolution, Democrat leaders continue to hold out for broader policy concessions.
Democrats continue prolonging the standoff and amplifying economic strain nationwide.
Fetterman’s blunt remarks mark one of the first public acknowledgments from a senior Democrat that the party’s handling of the shutdown has failed and that ordinary Americans are paying the price.
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