Democratic Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman publicly rebuked “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin on Tuesday after she sharply criticized his vote to reopen the government without securing an immediate extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.
Fetterman was one of eight Democrats and an independent caucusing with the party who voted to advance the Republican-led continuing resolution (CR) to end what has become the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The move angered several Democrats and pundits who insisted the party should have held out until an extension of the ACA subsidies—set to expire on December 31st and affect millions of Americans—was guaranteed.
During an appearance on “The View,” Hostin confronted the Senator, arguing that he was bringing “a butter knife to a gunfight” and that the failure to secure the subsidies now could cause health care costs to “skyrocket” for as many as half a million Pennsylvanians. Hostin also cited Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s criticism of her own party to bolster the argument that the GOP was to blame for the shutdown.
RELATED: Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman Defends Shutdown Vote, Says ‘My Party Crossed A Line’
“The Last Person I’m Going to Take Advice From”
Senator Fetterman swiftly dismissed Hostin’s critique, specifically pushing back on the mention of Greene.
“Well, first of all, you know, MTG is quite literally the last person in America that I’m going to take advice or to get their kinds of my leadership and values from,” Fetterman stated. He added, “And now if Democrats are celebrating crazy pants like that, then that’s on them. And I don’t need a lecture.”
Fetterman went on to suggest that he won’t be lectured by representatives of deep-blue constituencies, referencing California’s governor. He defended his vote by framing the government shutdown as a genuine crisis affecting struggling Americans, not a political game.
“I promise you this isn’t a political game,” Fetterman continued. “The reality is 42 million Americans now not sure where their next meal is going to come from… and because we vote like that… people that haven’t been paid for five weeks now and that kinds of chaos, those workers borrow more than half a billion dollars from their credit union just to pay their bills now.”
The moderate group of Democrats who voted for the CR received a pledge from Senate Republicans for a separate vote on the subsidy extensions in December, though many progressives remain skeptical that the vote will pass the GOP-led Senate.
Fetterman, who has consistently voted to reopen the government since the shutdown began on October 1st, has maintained that his vote was for “country over party.”
RELATED: Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman Slams Shutdown Tactic As ‘Hostage-Taking’
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