Senate Democrats are filibustering a Republican measure to reopen the federal government. As the shutdown approached and reached record length, Donald Trump grew impatient at the stalemate and demanded that Senate Republicans "nuke" the filibuster altogether and reopen government on a simple majority vote. So far, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has demurred, arguing the votes (presumably Republican votes) aren't there to take away the Senate minority's weapon of last resort.
Fetterman, during an appearance on Saturday in America on Fox News on Saturday, told host Kayleigh McEnany there are a handful of Democrats like him who are going to vote for our country in certain circumstances, rather than automatically vote along party lines. That has helped him be successful in a purple state, he said, a moment after McEnany showed a recent Axios story that said Fetterman had a +11 favorability rating in Pennsylvania.
Lawmakers in both parties are grappling with growing pressure amid a stalemate that has brought Washington to a near standstill. The government shutdown entered its fourth week on Wednesday, becoming the second longest in U.S. history after surpassing another from the mid-1990s. Congress is still a long way from coming up with a solution to end the shutdown, with no major breakthroughs 22 days in. But pressure is growing on both parties to find a possible exit ramp.