"He needs to go": Dems rage over Fetterman's DHS vote
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Sen. John Fetterman at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee meeting on March 19. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is under heavy fire from fellow Democrats for casting the deciding vote to advance Sen. Markwayne Mullin's (R-Okla.) nomination for DHS secretary, with some openly calling for his ouster.
Why it matters: The idea of trying to unseat Fetterman is never far from many Democrats' minds, but rarely has it been discussed so explicitly and so openly.
- "Once again Sen Fetterman shows why he is Trump's favorite Democrat. He needs to go," Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), one of Fetterman's harshest critics, said in a post on X.
- Boyle, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee and a rumored potential primary rival to Fetterman, has publicly criticized the senator before, but this was the first time he has expressed support for his removal.
- Fetterman's office did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
What happened: Fetterman voted with Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to advance Mullin's nomination to a floor vote.
- The vote was 8-7, with all Democrats and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the chair of the committee, voting against Mullin's nomination — making Fetterman the deciding vote.
- The Pennsylvania Democrat, first elected in 2022 as a progressive, has since stunned erstwhile allies by tacking to the right, staunchly defending Israel and extending frequent olive branches to the GOP.
What they're saying: "If you needed any more proof that Fetterman has completely abandoned his constituents, here it is. Pennsylvanians deserve a Senator that actually fights for them," Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) said on X.
- Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), who had urged constituents ahead of the vote to call Fetterman's office and ask him to oppose Mullin's nomination, compared him negatively to Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) at a town hall Thursday night.
- "Well, we have this senator — we have two actually," she said to boos from the crowd. "And I have to be really honest with you, of the two I have more success in working with the one on the [Republican] side of the aisle than the one on the [Democratic] side of the aisle."
Zoom out: It wasn't just sitting members of Congress tearing into the Pennsylvania senator.
- Former Rep. Conor Lamb, who was Fetterman's top Democratic primary opponent in 2022 and has remained critical of him, posted on X: "Did people think this vigilante was voting to protect their rights? Come on."
- Moe Davis, an unsuccessful 2020 North Carolina congressional candidate, even apologized to former donors for sharing his donor list with the Fetterman campaign.
- "I sincerely regret whatever part I had in helping to elect [John Fetterman] in 2022."
The other side: "In January, I called on the president to fire [former DHS Secretary Kristi] Noem — and he did," Fetterman said in a statement defending his vote.
- "I truly approached the confirmation of my colleague and friend, Senator Mullin, with an open-mind. We need a leader at DHS. We must reopen DHS."
- Fetterman said his vote was "rooted in a strong committed, constructive working relationship with Senator Mullin for our nation's security."
