WASHINGTON — With the federal government on the brink of a shutdown at last night, Senate Republicans are laughing while watching Democrats war amongst themselves, instead of fighting the GOP.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) began rallying her online army after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced he’d vote to pass Republicans’ continuing resolution — or CR, which funds the federal government for another six months.
“Senate Democrats should not allow this chaos to continue. They can put a stop to it tomorrow,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on X Thursday. “CALL your Senator and ask them to vote NO on Cloture and NO on the Republican spending bill.”
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After only one Democrat in the House of Representatives supported the spending bill crafted by House Speaker Mike Johnson at the start of the week, many Senate Democrats are following their colleagues’ lead and coming out opposed to the GOP funding measure, voicing similar complaints as Ocasio-Cortez who is rumored to be exploring a primary challenge to Schumer and the New York Senate seat he’s held since 1999.
While Democratic infighting has some in the party worried, at least one Democrat from a battleground state that President Donald Trump won in November was unmoved by the progressive leader of the so-called ‘Squad,’ — even going so far as to taunt Ocasio-Cortez and the left wing of their beleaguered party.
“I am incredibly unburdened by her views and opinions,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) told Raw Story at the Capitol Friday. “Print that s---!”
To the anger of many progressives, the senior Pennsylvania senator has broken with his party in recent months, opposing calls to investigate whether Israel engaged in genocide during its monthlong bombing campains in Gaza while also supporting controversial cabinet nominees, like Attorney General Pam Bondi who continues to question the legitimacy of former President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.
Fetterman even traveled to Mar-a-Lago earlier this year, making him the only congressional Democrat to travel to Trump’s adopted home turf in Florida.
But Fetterman doesn’t care who he’s angering, including Ocasio-Cortez.
Most Democrats have either outright opposed the government funding measure or have been left wrestling with whether to support it, but Fetterman’s been a vocal supporter since House Republican leaders unveiled the measure they crafted behind closed doors last weekend.
Fetterman said he’s far from worried about Ocasio-Cortez and her millions of social media devotees. Rather, he’s welcoming a fight with the four-term congresswoman from the Bronx.
“I hope she comes after me,” Fetterman told Raw Story. “That makes me more popular in Pennsylvania.”