Sen. John Fetterman did something rare in Washington this week: he put the country ahead of partisan purity and crossed the aisle to back a Republican-led effort to get paychecks to federal employees who are forced to work during the shutdown. The Senate ultimately failed to advance the Republican measure on Oct. 23, leaving hundreds of thousands of hardworking Americans wondering how they will pay rent and buy groceries while elites in both parties trade blame.
Fetterman’s vote alongside Republicans — one of only three Democrats to support the procedural motion to take up Ron Johnson’s bill — showed a streak of common-sense that too few in the Democratic leadership possess right now. He has been clear that he will not vote to shut the government down, and his willingness to break with the party should be applauded by anyone who believes governance matters more than ideological theater.
Instead of a responsible, targeted solution, Senate Democrats tried to push broader measures that would have paid furloughed employees and restricted the administration’s authority, and Republicans objected to those moves — so nothing moved forward. The result is the worst kind of Washington dysfunction: dueling proposals, procedural blocks, and ordinary Americans stuck in the middle while beltway insiders posture.
Let’s be honest about who’s to blame: the party that makes its political base a higher priority than the paychecks of public servants. Democrats are playing a dangerous game by insisting on demands unrelated to keeping the lights on, while the rest of the country feels the consequences — from air-traffic delays to food-aid programs on the brink. The stalled votes are not just a legislative failure; they are an affront to every family living paycheck to paycheck.
Conservatives should welcome any Democrat who chooses country over caucus, but we must also turn this moment into accountability. Push your senators, demand votes that actually reopen the government, and make sure those who prefer political theater to practical solutions own the pain their games cause. If Washington won’t put Americans first, voters will — and they’ll remember who stood in the way.
