NEW: Dem Senator Comes Out In Favor Of Voter ID

In a recent appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) suggested that he would be in favor of voter identification requirements amid discussions about Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding and potential government shutdowns.

Fetterman was asked about ongoing discussions to pass voter ID requirements ahead of a potential partial government shutdown over DHS funding. Lawmakers previously agreed to fund all federal departments with the exception of DHS earlier this week in order to allow lawmakers time to discuss potential federal immigration enforcement reforms.

Republicans, including President Trump, have called on Senate Republicans to deploy the standing filibuster — an older Senate procedure that requires opposing members to physically filibuster a piece of legislation — to advance the House-passed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. Such a move would deviate from current procedure, often referred to as the “zombie” filibuster, which allows dissenting members to block legislation unless culture (60 votes) is achieved.

“And now me as a Democrat, I do not believe that it’s unreasonable to show ID just to vote,” Fetterman said. He then pointed to recent elections in Wisconsin, where voters both approved voter ID measures and elected a liberal state Supreme Court justice in the same cycle.

“So it’s not a radical idea for regular Americans to show your id to vote and absolutely those things are not Jim Crow or anything,” the senator added, bucking previous comments made from Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who compared the popular voter ID bill with Jim Crow-era laws.

Fetterman also connected the issue to border security and deportations, as his colleagues are currently threatening a government shutdown over DHS funding. Such a move would not touch the budget for ICE and federal deportation operations — which is secured through 2029 with July’s Big Beautiful Bill — but would affect other agencies that fall under DHS purview.

“Hopefully we don’t have to do and pay the TSA people and everyone secure our border and focus, focus on deporting all of those kinds of criminals wherever they are. That is a guy that votes for that and supports as a Democrat I never want to vote to shut our government down again,” Fetterman told Fox News.

Despite his support for voter ID in principle, Fetterman has stated he does not support the SAVE Act.

Fetterman’s comments come as Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) weighs calls to deploy the standing filibuster from Republican lawmakers and the White House. “America’s Elections are Rigged, Stolen, and a Laughingstock all over the World. We are either going to fix them, or we won’t have a Country any longer,” President Trump posted on Truth Social this past Friday.

On Tuesday, Thune spoke with reporters and stated that Senate Republicans would hold conversations within their conference about the option of requiring a standing filibuster in specific instances. He emphasized that no final commitments had been made and highlighted the need to assess the broader implications.

Thune noted that such a procedural shift could occupy the Senate floor for extended periods, creating an “opportunity cost” by limiting time available for other legislative items, including housing reform, permitting processes, artificial intelligence policy, farm bill reauthorization, and highway funding measures.

RELATED: New Poll Shows Americans Strongly Behind Trump On Voter ID