Fetterman says he was wrong to campaign on eliminating the filibuster
Sen. John Fetterman said he was “absolutely wrong” in 2022 when he campaigned to eliminate the Senate filibuster. After reconsidering, he argues that removing it would leave the minority party with “little to no voice,” effectively turning the Senate into a smaller version of the House where minority rights are weaker.
Speaking on *The Katie Miller Podcast*, fetterman said he now believes former Sens. joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema were right to oppose changes that would have weakened or abolished the filibuster, which typically requires 60 votes to advance most legislation. He also noted the irony that Democrats had pushed to get rid of the rule but now benefit from it when it serves their goals, and he cautioned that the Senate’s distinct rules are important for how it functions.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said he was “absolutely wrong” for campaigning to eliminate the filibuster in 2022 because he now realizes that eliminating the procedural tactic would give the minority party “little to no voice.”
Speaking on an episode of The Katie Miller Podcast, released Tuesday, Fetterman said he now believes former Sens. Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema, both Democrats-turned-independents, were correct to oppose efforts to weaken or abolish the filibuster, the Senate rule that generally requires 60 votes to advance most legislation.
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“One thing I was absolutely wrong on … is that in my cycle in ‘22, we were running to eliminate the filibuster,” Fetterman said. “And we were so wrong, so wrong about that.” He added that Machin and Sinema had been “vindicated” by his change in opinion.
The filibuster became one of the most contentious issues facing Senate Democrats during former President Joe Biden’s first two years in office. In 202, Machin and Sinema joined Republicans in blocking a Democratic effort to change Senate rules and create an exception for voting rights legislation, effectively preserving the 60-vote threshold. Their stance drew sharp criticism from many Democratic lawmakers and candidates, including Fetterman.
At the time, Fetterman argued that the chamber’s rules were preventing action on issues voters had elected Democrats to address.
Since taking office in 2023, however, Fetterman has increasingly broken with the party’s progressive wing on a range of issues, including government funding fights, immigration, and support for Israel. He has also become more outspoken in criticizing what he views as ideological extremes within his party.
Supporters of the filibuster argue the rule forces bipartisan compromise and prevents dramatic policy swings whenever control of Congress changes. Fetterman told Miller, whose husband is White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, that eliminating the filibuster effectively silences the minority party in the chamber.
“If we lose the filibuster, then the rights of the minority, whether that will be Democrat or Republican … would have effectively little to no voice,” Fetterman said. “If we become a smaller version of the House, then that would have profound ramifications for the United States.”
Fetterman added that the “entire Democratic Party was wrong” for having pushed to eliminate the rule.
The senator also noted the irony that Democrats, having previously pushed to eliminate the filibuster, now often use it to their advantage.
Katie Miller then asked Fetterman if he thinks Democrats would try to get rid of the filibuster rule if they regain control of Congress in the midterm elections.
“Both parties think the other one is going to, you know, grab for the pistol under the table,” Fetterman said. “I think … we have to have that trust that we’re not going to do that.”
“I think everybody can realize that the filibuster is part of why the Senate functions and how important that has to be distinct [from] the House,” he added.
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