Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said he expects another partial government shutdown amid the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding battle.
“I absolutely would expect that it’s going to shut down. I know, we the Democrats, we provided, I think it was 10 kinds of basic things, and then the Republicans pushed back quickly, saying that that’s like a Christmas wish list and that there are nonstarters,” Fetterman said on “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“Without intervention, DHS funding will expire on Friday after being carved out of a larger government funding package,” Fox News reports.
Fetterman said “secure our border” and “deport all the criminals” are “fundamental priorities” he thinks most Americans support.
“And I hope it doesn’t shut down, because we could all agree to focus on those things. And that’s where I’m going to be, and where my vote is going to be,” he added.
Footage below:
Senator Fetterman warns a government shutdown is coming — and he says it’s because Democrats are demanding too many reforms to ICE.
Fetterman told Maria Bartiromo that no matter what his party thinks, he always stands for sensible immigration policies.
FETTERMAN: “If I had to… pic.twitter.com/0kg1QmWpsf
— Overton (@overton_news) February 8, 2026
Fox News shared further:
While Fetterman said he does not support shutting down the government, he acknowledged he expects Democrats and Republicans to remain divided past the deadline.
Democratic lawmakers have pushed for changes to DHS amid nationwide protests and heightened scrutiny. In January, DHS immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota left two Americans dead, and both deaths are under investigation.
Democrats sent Republicans a list of proposed reforms that GOP lawmakers have rejected. Their demands included a requirement for agents to unmask, mandatory body cameras and judicial warrants for arrests.
While some Democrats have called for the disbandment of DHS, Fetterman said he supports securing the border and deporting illegal immigrants who commit crimes. He urged his colleagues to focus on those shared priorities.
“I think every American deserves to be paid for the work that they’ve done, and I refuse – I don’t want to jump back into that,” Fetterman said.
“I’ve been a Democrat that refused to shut our government down last year. I mean, that’s real lives, and they’re not wealthy if they’re TSA folks, they’re allowing us to fly safe here in America,” he continued.
Check it out:
Senator John Fetterman says he travels by air 49 out of 52 weeks a year — and that makes government shutdowns personal.
He told Maria Bartiromo that it’s hard to look TSA agents in the eye and tell them they won’t get paid if Democrats force a shutdown.
Fetterman doubled down,… pic.twitter.com/mMNFdRY3QS
— Overton (@overton_news) February 8, 2026
The Hill has more:
Doubt about lawmakers coming to a deal to fund DHS has risen on Capitol Hill, with members of Congress blaming each other for the lack of negotiations as leadership mulls axing an upcoming recess.
Senators come back to Washington, D.C., on Monday, where they will confront a race to make a deal to avert a shutdown that would impact agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.