John Fetterman breaks with fellow Democrats on government shutdown

By 
 October 16, 2025

Just over two weeks have passed since Senate Democrats shut down the federal government by blocking a continuing resolution which would have provided funding until November 21.

However, Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has turned on his party by publicly opposing that move. 

Fight centers on ACA tax credits

As Breitbart reported, Fetterman made his position clear during a town hall event which was broadcast by NewsNation on Wednesday.

The lawmaker at one point addressed tax cuts, which were available to those who purchased health insurance through a marketplace established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The tax credits, which had been expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, were slashed earlier this year by the "Big Beautiful Bill" and Democrats are demanding that they be reinstated.

Yet as Breitbart noted, Fetterman pointed out how the tax credits were "designed by the Democratic Party to expire at the end of the year. This is not something taken from anybody by the Republicans."

"This is not something taken from anybody by the Republicans"

"I follow country, then party, and it’s the wrong thing for the country. In a period of chaos, I refuse to vote to shut our government down," he declared.

"I absolutely would love to have — I would love to have a conversation about extending the tax credits for health care, absolutely," Fetterman asserted.

"But I would remind everybody, too, this was designed by the Democratic Party to expire at the end of the year. This is not something taken from anybody by the Republicans. That’s — they were designed to expire," he stressed.

"Now, let’s have a conversation to extend it and not shut our government down," the freshman senator said as he drew to a close.

"I'll never vote to shut our government down"

Fetterman's comments echoed a previous statement which the Pennsylvania lawmaker posted to social media last month.

"I enthusiastically support extending the ACA tax credits," Fetterman wrote. "I’ll never vote to shut our government down over that or any reason."

"It's a core responsibility of Congress to maintain a functioning government and I refuse to hold it as hostage," he went on to insist. 
" A free people [claim] their rights, as derived from the laws of nature."
Thomas Jefferson