In an interview with Kayleigh McEnany on FOX News Channel’s “Saturday in America,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said he has been the only Democrat consistently opposing government shutdowns, calling them “always wrong” regardless of party. He also defended his vote to confirm Markwayne Mullin, saying the new DHS Secretary is committed to working across party lines to improve border security.

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, ANCHOR, FOX NEWS: Joining me now, Pennsylvania Democratic Senator, John Fetterman. Senator Fetterman, you heard Chuck Schumer — this bill is dead on arrival. What’s your reaction? SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): Well, I mean, I’ve been the only Democrat that have said you cannot shut our government down, and now it’s always wrong. I don’t care what party is behind it. You know, it’s in a principle. But in this specific kind of case, I was the only Democrat, and you’re only going to punish the TSA and other DHS, and now we’re also going to make our nation less secure than it is now. So, absolute loser right now are all the TSA members and other kinds of employees not paid. And also Americans that are flying across the country because you see those kinds of lines all across America. MCENANY: I saw a “New York Post” headline, “some TSA workers have had to sell their homes. One mom who is a TSA worker said I can’t afford Easter baskets for my kids. That’s where we’re at. So, what do you make of President Trump saying if Democrats in Congress will not act, I will, and taking emergency action to pay these workers? FETTERMAN: And, again, it’s an absolute failure for — that they’re not going to be paid that it needs that kinds of intervention. And yes, and now they’re selling their blood, they’re desperate. I talk to them every time I’m at the airport. I travel every week, and I talk to them, and every single one of them, it’s like, we are exhausted. We’re frustrated and we’re broke. And now these people make $ 50,000 a year. I mean, that’s the kinds of — our base of the kind of people that we really should be rallying behind that. I’m not going to plunge them into this kind of chaos, and this is the second shutdown just in the last several months. It’s always wrong. And there’s no policy changes or outcome that it makes anyone better or safer for now. It’s just empty kinds of political gestures, and I — gestures. And I just think, you know, this has to end. You know, we have a core responsibility to keep our government open and find a way to work together to make some kinds of changes. Now, we have failures. We have failures. We have Americans that are being killed and murdered by illegal immigrants. But we also — we can’t have another kind of tragedy happening in Minneapolis. Find a way together. And now I look forward to work with new Secretary Mullin. And I was really the only Democrat to vote for him too, because I think he’s the right guy for the job, and I’m looking forward to working with him together to make — focus on secure our border, and deport all the kinds of criminals and how we can find a better way forward. And I’m proud to be on the Homeland Security Committee. MCENANY: Yes, and I’m sure TSA workers are thankful that you have voted time and time and time and time again to pay them, and the only one in your party. I want to play this. This was a Philadelphia protest. You this this week. I could not believe there are people in our country who say things like this. Let’s roll the tape. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until we have done everything in our power to bring the United States to its knees, let us not lose sight of the enemy. Whoever — U.S. military base that crumbles, over every U.S. soldier who returns home in a casket, we cheer! (CHEERS) (END VIDEO CLIP) MCENANY: Saying we cheer for the caskets, one of those young men had two seven-month old babies, twins, and a two-year-old. FETTERMAN: Yes, mean, for me it’s like — what’s interesting is like there were plenty of Democrats that criticized me for voting for to work with Secretary Mullin. But I haven’t seen other kinds of criticism when you have people calling for the death of American service members in the middle of downtown Philadelphia. I mean, I’m on — I think I’m on the right side of reasonable. I’m on the right side of never shut the government down. I’m the guy that’s on the side of country over party, and I’m going to remain in that exact space. MCENANY: You’re on the side of heroes. I want to play this for you. You voted, as you noted, to confirm Mullin — and by the way, you come in a long line of tradition of bipartisan votes for qualified nominees. Mullin is among them. Jimmy Kimmel — FETTERMAN: Yes, absolutely — MCENANY: Happens — absolutely. Jimmy Kimmel disagrees with you. Let’s roll the tape. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN & TELEVISION HOST: Markwayne Mullin was a low-level MMA fighter and a plumber. (LAUGHTER) KIMMEL: That’s right, we have a plumber protecting us from terrorism now. It worked for Super Mario, why not Markwayne? (END VIDEO CLIP) MCENANY: What do you think about that? FETTERMAN: I mean, I just wouldn’t engage in that kind of sniping. I don’t. So, for me it’s like, this is the pick of the President. That’s his prerogative. Now, it used to be like unheard to actually vote against one of our colleagues. We don’t have to agree on him or her on all these policies, but that’s just the way it used to be in the past. So, again, he’s been my friend. And another thing, he and I have worked together. I joined with him to a trip to the Turks and Caicos, and now we prevented Americans that we’re going to look at a decade in prison, that because of a random bullet in their luggage. So, I’ve worked with him, and I do believe he’s the guy that can work to make America more secure, and now we can’t have those kinds of tragedies in Minneapolis. That’s my focus. That’s what the vast majority of Americans want, and that’s my partner, and we’re moving forward. And now that’s still shut down, that’s an absolute failure. That’s our core responsibility as the Senate and Congress, not to have these kinds of constant breakdown. MCENANY: And what do you make of Democrats in the House saying it’s time to oust Fetterman for taking this vote? I mean, as I noted, there’s really a bipartisan tradition of parties voting for qualified nominees. FETTERMAN: Yes, I don’t really — I don’t really track what Twitter fingers say. But what I am saying, I’m going to be the guy that’s always going the pick country over party. I’m going to be the reasonable voice throughout the entirety of all this. And I’ll be the guy that’s going to work with Mullin to make America more secure, and to make the kinds of appropriate changes. And I will be the one Democrat that will always refuse to shut our government down. MCENANY: Senator Fetterman, you know, I’ve said this before, but one thing my father said about you, and he’s a true-ribbed conservative, was that he likes that you always stay positive. And notably there you said, I’m not going to engage in that kind of sniping with Jimmy Kimmel. I want to ask you this, you know, you are a Democrat. Would you ever run for President? Because I’ve said before as a Republican, the person I would fear most running in the Democratic Party for President would be you. Because I think you would win the nomination and have a good chance of winning outright. Would you ever consider that? (LAUGHTER) FETTERMAN: No, that’s very kind. Please thank your father for that. I know, so for me, you know, like, I am trying to occupy the space here in the Senate that I refuse to do things that should have been — no other parts of my party would never, ever do in the past. You know, our core values, you know, and I’m going to remain to be the one individual that refuses to shut our government down and to call out what’s right and what’s wrong. And that’s where I’m going to remain. MCENANY: As a life-long conservative, you’re always welcome over here. Senator Fetterman, thank you very much.

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