Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., earned praise from Republicans for calling out his own party as food stamp assistance is on the line amid a partial government shutdown.
‘As a committed Democrat, I’m dismayed my party is playing chicken with the food security of 42M Americans. I reject a political gamble that exposes a vulnerable constituency to widespread deprivation and chaos,’ Fetterman declared in a Tuesday post on X.
A statement posted on the U.S. Department of Agriculture website warns that ‘the well has run dry’ for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and ‘there will be no benefits issued November 01.’
‘We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance,’ the statement asserts.
Fetterman has repeatedly voted to advance a stopgap funding measure to end the shutdown, but the votes have fallen short of the threshold required to move the measure forward in the Senate.
Some GOP lawmakers responded to Fetterman’s post on X.
‘Thank you @SenFettermanPA for being a voice of reason, compassion and putting Americans first,’ Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., said in a post on Wednesday.
Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., wrote on Tuesday, ‘A rare voice of reason in the Democrat party. Sadly, Senators Kelly and Gallego are siding with party loyalty.’
‘Well said @SenFettermanPA,’ Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., noted on Tuesday.
In a post on Wednesday, Fetterman stated, ‘Our workers are forced to get a loan just to get by. As a Democrat, this stalemate doesn’t feel like support for working families to me. End the shutdown or own the fallout.’