WATCH: Fetterman Slams Fellow Dems Over DHS Shutdown: ‘Don’t Talk About Affordability’

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) once again had harsh words for his fellow Democrats as the ongoing partial government shutdown — which has led to an unprecedented crisis inside America’s busiest airports — enters its 41st day.

“For me, I’ve said this from the beginning, and I remind everybody there was a long shutdown just last year too, and I was one of the rare Democrats to refuse that as well. And now here we are at the airport every week. I talk to countless TSA agents, and they are all hurting,” Fetterman said. The senator has indeed consistently split from Democrats over government shutdowns and has voted to fund the government amid the current crisis, as well as last year’s record-long full shutdown.

“They are angry. They are frustrated. They’re exhausted, too, by what they’ve been put through,” he continued.

Fetterman then took aim at his fellow Democrats, particularly on the message of affordability, which has long polled as one of the top issues for American voters since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. “Now, these are not wealthy people. They earn around $50,000 a year. That should be our wheelhouse. I mean, they’re union government workers, and now if we refuse to give them a paycheck — don’t talk about affordability if you don’t even provide them with a paycheck,” Fetterman declared.

“So it’s always wrong, regardless of which party is doing it, to shut down our government. It’s fundamentally wrong, and that’s why I refuse to be a part of it.”

As of this report, the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is in its sixth week, which has caused employees across a number of key agencies to miss multiple paychecks.

What began as a funding lapse on February 14 has escalated into a full-blown crisis for air travel, with TSA security lines reaching unprecedented lengths and frontline officers strained to the breaking point. The root cause traces directly to Senate Democrats’ refusal to pass clean funding legislation for the department, despite repeated opportunities and bipartisan efforts in the House.

Senate Democrats initiated the shutdown by blocking a full-year DHS appropriations bill that the House had already approved. Instead, they have repeatedly voted against measures to restore funding unless Republicans agree to reforms on immigration policy that would amount to de facto amnesty for millions of illegal aliens.

Republicans have agreed to some compromises, including the use of officer-worn body cameras, but have rejected other demands, like those for judicial warrants for every arrest, as non-starters.

Democrats have shown no willingness to budge, even as the shutdown drags into spring break travel season. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Appropriations Committee leaders have insisted that funding for ICE and CBP must come with these “meaningful reforms” or not at all and have repeatedly rejected offers for temporary extensions.

The ongoing standoff comes as TSA wait times are exceeding record levels across the nation’s largest airports. Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill confirmed to Congress on March 25 that some lines now exceed 4.5 hours, with major hubs like Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, and New Orleans reporting waits of four to six hours.

Call-out rates have also surged dramatically, with the national rate creeping above 15 percent. Some airports have experienced call-out rates upwards of 40-50 percent, which has contributed to the astronomical wait times.

About 500 employees have resigned since the shutdown began, with resignations expected to surge the longer it continues.

The chaos has already forced some airports to close security checkpoints entirely or advise passengers to arrive three to four hours early. Acting Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl warned last week that without resolution, smaller regional airports could “quite literally shut down.”

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