John Fetterman is eating his words. The Pennsylvania Democrat admitted Tuesday that his previous crusade to kill the Senate filibuster was a massive mistake. He now warns that nuking the 60-vote threshold would trigger “profound ramifications” for the country.
He was wrong. Dead wrong. He admits it now. During an appearance on Katie Miller’s podcast, Fetterman confessed that his 2022 campaign promise to gut the procedural roadblock was a short-sighted blunder.
“We were so wrong, so wrong about that,” Fetterman said. He even offered a rare nod of appreciation to former Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin. The two moderates, once vilified by their own party for saving the filibuster, now look like prophets to the Pennsylvania senator. “I think Sen. Sinema and Manchin were vindicated by this,” he remarked.
Back in 2022, Fetterman sang a different tune. He viewed the filibuster as a relic blocking progress. Now? He sees it as a shield. Without it, the minority party—regardless of who holds the gavel—becomes completely powerless.
The Senate cannot become the House. That is his fear. Fetterman warned that stripping the minority’s veto power would turn the upper chamber into a hyper-partisan circus, a shift he labeled as downright dangerous.
The irony is thick. While Fetterman backtracks, Donald Trump and some hardline Republicans are now the ones clamoring to kill the filibuster to push through their own agenda, including the SAVE America Act. Yet, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is holding the line, insisting the rule must stay.
