Fetterman Blasts Schumer For Government Shutdown: ‘Not Some Sh**ty Game Show’

As the government shutdown drags into its fifth week with no clear end in sight, Pennsylvania Democrat Senator John Fetterman erupted in frustration over his own party’s inertia — saying millions of Americans, including hungry parents and children, are left scrambling while politicians in Washington play political chess.

“It’s an absolute failure,” Fetterman told CNN. With the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) expiring over the weekend, roughly 40 million low-income Americans could lose access to food benefits. “Imagine being a parent with a couple kids and how you’re going to fill their refrigerator and pack their lunches and get on with their lives when the things that they’ve depended on is (sic) gone because we can’t even agree to just open things up. … I’m apologizing that we can’t even get our sh** together and just open up our government.”

Fetterman’s outburst came as the Senate adjourned again without results, heading into the 34th day of what is now one of the longest shutdowns in U.S. history. Behind closed doors, senators from both parties have floated compromises, but none have gained traction. For millions of families, that means another week of waiting while grocery prices soar and food banks stretch thin.

Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to DailyWire.com/Subscribe to join now.

Fetterman pointed to his wife, Gisele’s, local outreach. Her free store in Braddock, Pennsylvania, distributes food several times a week — and the lines, he said, have already grown. “I’ll encounter people this weekend that have no SNAP benefits. I don’t have an explanation for them,” he said. “All I can say is I’m sorry.”

The senator has become one of the few Democrats siding with Republicans to reopen the government. He’s broken ranks more than a dozen times, insisting that families should never be held hostage in a partisan fight.

When reminded that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the shutdown was “getting better for us” politically every day for the Democrats, Fetterman didn’t hide his disgust, saying, “Ask the hungry people on Saturday. Americans are not leverage. This is not some sh**ty game show about who’s winning.”

Sen. Fetterman: “I'm apologizing that, that we can't even get our shit together and just open up our government.”

On Schumer’s claim that things are better every day for Ds: “Ask the hungry people on Saturday…This is not some shitty game show about who's winning or whatever.” pic.twitter.com/3ShdItR8UQ

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 31, 2025