Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he believes a government shutdown would plunge the United States “into chaos” and risk sending the country into a recession.
“Shut the government down, plunge the country into chaos, risk a recession, or exchange cloture for a 30-day CR [continuing resolution] that 100 percent fails,” Fetterman posted on the social platform X.
The Senate is being asked to provide 60 votes for a GOP CR that would fund the government through the end of September. Cloture is a Senate term for ending debate that requires a 60-vote supermajority.
Fetterman in his post included a photo of The Hill’s article from Thursday morning, which reported that Senate Democrats privately were saying they would not allow the government to shut down on Saturday, despite pressure from activists and liberal lawmakers who want them to kill a GOP-crafted six-month stopgap spending bill.
That bill was approved by the House on Tuesday. Fifty-two Republicans and Fetterman are expected to vote for it, but 60 votes will be needed for it to pass the Senate. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is the only expected GOP “no” vote.
Democrats say Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is giving room for centrists to vote for the continuing resolution.
Fetterman separately in an interview argued Democrats should provide the votes to move the measure forward.
“If you shut it down, you will impact, in part, millions and millions of Americans and you run the risk of slipping us into a recession,” Fetterman told CNN’s Manu Raju on Thursday.
The CR would fund the government through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. It would boost funds for defense programs and impose cuts to nondefense spending.
The current funding expires at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Friday and the ball now lies in the Senate’s court. Senate Democrats have criticized the legislation, but some have shared concerns about the reality that a government shutdown could happen at the end of the week.
