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Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman stood firm Sunday against the ongoing government shutdown, criticizing members of his own party for sending the “wrong message” about the standoff.
“Shutting our government down. That’s the wrong message for the world, for Americans as well, too,” Fetterman said on “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“I don’t care whose that blame is. It’s not about a blame game. It’s about opening this government, having this conversation, and literally let’s address these kinds of healthcare issues as well too.”
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In an exclusive Fox News interview, the Pennsylvania Democrat vowed he will “never” vote in favor of a shutdown, admonishing those who refuse to negotiate to end the stalemate.
“It was wrong if the Republicans did these things, and I led that charge back in March, saying it’s wrong to shut us down, and we kept it open. I said then, back in March, that, when September comes, I’m going to be the one guy that’s saying it is wrong to do this,” he said.
“Really, the losers are these poor Americans here that are going to get caught in the middle of this thing. I fully support [having] a conversation about extending those [Obamacare] tax credits. I think a lot of Republicans might even agree with that too.”
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“That’s a priority for us, and they might agree, but let’s get our government open and have that conversation, so people can get paid, and we can’t have this kind of chaos.”
Finger-pointing has ensued since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, with Republicans branding the impasse as the “Schumer shutdown” and Democrats demanding that Republicans and President Trump agree to a deal on Obamacare tax credits, which are set to expire by the end of the year.
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Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine joined Fetterman in voting for the Republican stopgap funding bill that would have kept the government open.
The measure needs 60 votes to pass, meaning Republicans must earn five more votes.
Fox News’ Alex Miller contributed to this report.
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