John Fetterman joins other Democrats in voting against advancing DHS funding as potential shutdown looms
Pennsylvania Republican Dave McCormick voted for the funding package ahead of a potential shutdown. Every Democrat in the Senate voted no.
Sen. John Fetterman on Thursday voted against advancing a highly-contested government funding package that includes allocations for the Department of Homeland Security, despite noting his objections to shutting down the government earlier this week.
The U.S. Senate voted 45-55 Thursday on a key procedural vote, failing to advance a budget package as the country moves closer to a partial government shutdown this weekend.
Every Democrat voted against the appropriations package because of the inclusion of funding for DHS. The party previously vowed to block DHS funding in the aftermath of federal immigration agents’ fatal shooting of two Americans in Minneapolis this month.
Sen. Dave McCormick (R., Pa.) voted to advance the bill.
Fetterman’s vote is a surprise given the senator’s comments earlier in the week when he said he would “never vote to shut our government down, especially our Defense Department,” which is one of the agencies that would have received funding from the appropriations package.
It’s unclear why Fetterman voted against the package midday Thursday, but it’s unlikely to be the final version considered by the Senate as eight Republicans also voted no with a shutdown slated to begin Saturday if Congress does not pass a package this week.
A spokesperson for Fetterman did not immediately return a request for comment on the senator’s vote.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) was among the Republicans who voted no so that he could make a motion to reconsider the legislation.
DHS oversees ICE and Border Patrol, the two agencies involved in the fatal Minnesota shootings. Democrats have been calling for a halt to additional funding in the wake of the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
But Fetterman noted Monday that the department received $178 billion from last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which he opposed, and that ICE would continue to operate during a shutdown.
“A vote to shut our government down will not defund ICE,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman has previously suggested removing DHS funding from the package under consideration as a compromise. He has also urged President Donald Trump to fire DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
A reporter from The Hill posted on X minutes after the vote that Fetterman saw his no vote as setting the stage to decouple DHS funding from the other five bills under consideration, rather than triggering a shutdown.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has pushed Republicans and the White House to strip the Homeland Security funding from the rest of the bill. In the deal under discussion, Homeland Security would still be funded but for a short time to allow for negotiations on the Democrats’ demands. Other agencies included in the bill would be funded through the end of September.
Within the past week, Fetterman faced mounting pressure from fellow Pennsylvania Democrats and constituents to vote against the package as tensions in Minneapolis continue to escalate.
On Tuesday, every Democratic member of Pennsylvania’s U.S. House delegation cosigned a letter urging Fetterman and McCormick to vote against the funding. Constituents also gathered outside Fetterman’s office in Philadelphia on Tuesday to protest his stance.
“We can no longer continue to give Homeland Security a blank check,” said U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D., Pa.) in a virtual news conference with U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans Thursday morning.
Boyle was an outspoken critic of Fetterman’s votes against the previous government shutdown last year during a fight over health care subsidies.
McCormick voted as expected to advance the GOP-led legislation.
“I’m just not in favor of shutting down the government or stopping funding the government, and that’s the position that I’ve had through the last shutdown,” McCormick said about his support for the funding on a tele-town hall Tuesday night. “I’m not in favor of ever shutting down the government. It doesn’t matter what party is in power, but some people see that differently.”
If lawmakers fail to pass a package by Friday, the federal government will undergo its second shutdown in four months, starting Saturday, potentially demoralizing federal workers and inconveniencing members of the public who rely on impacted services.
The previous shutdown started on Oct. 1 2025 and lasted 43 days — the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
The upcoming shutdown would be a partial one, impacting various agencies including the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which provides nutrition assistance to needy families, would not be among the affected departments.
The other four Democratic senators from the Philadelphia region — Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker of New Jersey and Sens. Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware — all joined Fetterman in voting no Thursday.
Kim argued the vote was a bipartisan rebuke of the Trump administration’s immigration strategy and said he would be working with colleagues to deliver “real security” to the American public.
“Their lawlessness has taken lives on the streets of our neighborhoods, and I’ve heard from so many about an overwhelming fear that they can be targeted next,” Kim said in a statement. “We need real changes to fix a broken and lawless system that has led to so many Americans losing trust in their government to keep them safe.”
This story is developing and will be updated.
Staff Writer Aliya Schneider and the Associated Press contributed reporting.