‘I Follow Country, Then Party’: Fetterman Blows The Whistle, Admits Dems Wanted The Shutdown

In a stunning admission that undercut weeks of Democratic spin, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) dropped a political grenade at a NewsNation town hall at the Kennedy Center this week — squarely blaming his own party for the federal government shutdown.

Fetterman didn’t mince words.

“That’s why shutting the government is really what the Democratic Party wants to do,” he told moderator Chris Cuomo to audible audience applause. “I follow country, then party. And it’s the wrong thing for the country.” He made clear he would not support using a shutdown as leverage in negotiations.

John Fetterman just blew up Democrats’ shut down narrative.

FETTERMAN: “Shutting the government is really what the Democratic Party wants to do… [Obamacare subsidies were] designed by the Democratic Party to expire … This is NOT something taken by the Republicans.” pic.twitter.com/VE4s1LRWDE

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 16, 2025

Fetterman, one of the Senate’s most outspoken members, openly criticized Democrats for structuring the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) subsidies to expire at the end of 2025.

“This was designed by the Democratic Party to expire at the end of the year,” he said. “This is not something taken by the Republicans.” Translation: the expiration wasn’t some conservative plot — it was baked into the policy by Democrats themselves.

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He added that while he supports extending those subsidies, it should happen without holding the federal government hostage. “Let’s have a conversation to extend it and not shut the government down.”

The statement sent shockwaves through Washington and drew praise from Republicans, who quickly seized on it as validation.

“Senator John Fetterman said the quiet part out loud,” said RNC Chairman Joe Gruters. “Democrats caused this shutdown. They’re responsible for the expiration of their own policies, and now hardworking Americans are paying the price.”

This wasn’t Fetterman’s first warning shot. Back in March, he declared flatly on X: “Never, never, never vote for a shutdown — ever.” In early October, he reinforced the same position: “When the Republicans were doing it, we rightly criticized them … Don’t shut it down. It’s fundamentally wrong.”

Fetterman was so committed to avoiding a shutdown that in late September, he became one of three Democrats in the Senate to vote for the Republican-crafted continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government running — a temporary bill that kept funding flat but didn’t address Democratic healthcare priorities. He also voted for the Democratic version, which would have extended Obamacare subsidies but failed to pass. His logic? Support both if it means avoiding chaos.

“My vote affirms that, despite their refusal to restore health care, I am unwilling to vote to shut down our government and unleash massive, national chaos,” Fetterman said at the time.

Fetterman’s move is rare in today’s polarized Senate. The Left wants to blame House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Republicans, but Fetterman’s words shredded that narrative.

In classic unfiltered fashion, Fetterman shrugged off a Trump-reposted video showing Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in a photoshopped sombrero, saying, “Somebody can put me in a sombrero and a mustache … I’ll laugh at it too.”

As Democrats head into a critical election year, one of their own just admitted: the shutdown wasn’t forced on them. They chose it.

And now they own it.