Philadelphia paper warns Fetterman to take Senate job seriously – ‘or step away'
The Philadelphia Inquirer's editorial board has issued a sharp rebuke of Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman in a new opinion piece, urging him to take his job 'seriously' and writing that 'it's time for Fetterman to serve Pennsylvanians, or step away.'
In a strongly worded piece published on Sunday, the editorial board of the Philadelphia Inquirer, which endorsed Fetterman during his 2022 Senate campaign, said the first-term Democrat 'has missed more votes than nearly every other senator in the past two years' and 'regularly skips committee hearings, cancels meetings, avoids the daily caucus lunches with colleagues, and rarely goes on the Senate floor'.
The editorial board also wrote that six former Fetterman staffers told an Inquirer reporter that Fetterman was frequently absent or spent hours alone in his office, avoiding colleagues and meetings.
'Being an elected official comes with public scrutiny,' the board wrote. 'If Fetterman can't handle the attention or perform his job, then in the best interest of the country and the nearly 13 million residents of Pennsylvania he represents, he should step aside.'
Related: Republican senator criticized for mock apology after saying 'we all are going to die'
'Being an elected representative is a privilege, not an entitlement,' it added. 'Being a US senator is a serious job that requires full-time engagement.'
Fetterman responded to the piece and allegations on Monday during a Fox News debate with Republican senator David McCormick.
'For me, it's very clear, it's just part of like this weird – this weird smear,' Fetterman said. 'The more kinds of, left kind of media continues to have these kinds of an attack, and it's just part of a smear and that's just not … it's just not accurate.'
He continued: 'I've always been there, and for me, if I miss some of those votes, I've made 90% of them, and we all know those votes that I've missed were on Monday. Those are travel days and I have three young kids and … those are throwaway procedural votes that … they were never determined if they were important. That's a choice that I made.'
Fetterman also reportedly claimed senators Bernie Sanders and Patty Murray had missed more votes than he has.
'Why aren't the left media yelling and demanding them and claiming they're not doing their job?' Fetterman said.
In response, a spokesperson for Murray told Politico that most of her missed votes occurred during a vote-a-rama when her husband was hospitalized.
A spokesperson for Sanders did not immediately respond to request for comment from Politico, but the outlet pointed out that according to data from GovTrack.us, a government transparency site, Sanders has missed 836 of 6,226 rollcall votes since 1991, or about 13.4%. Murray has missed 290 of 11,106 rollcall votes since 1993, or roughly 2.6%.
By comparison, Politico reported that Fetterman has missed 174 of 961 rollcall votes, approximately 18.1%, in his first term, according to GovTrack.us.
The editorial on Sunday comes as last month, New York magazine published an article on Fetterman which quoted several former and current Fetterman staffers who expressed concerns about the Senator's mental and physical health, and his behavior.
In response, Fetterman dismissed the piece, calling it 'a one-source story, with a couple anonymous sources' and labeling it a 'hit piece from a very left publication'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
8 minutes ago
- New York Post
Rhode Island lawmakers pass bill to ban sales of assault weapons
Rhode Island's Democratic-controlled state House on Friday approved legislation that would ban the sale and manufacturing of many semiautomatic rifles commonly referred to as assault weapons. The proposal now heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Dan McKee, who said in a post on the social platform X on Friday evening that he plans to sign the bill into law. If that happens, Rhode Island will join 10 states that have some sort of prohibition on high-powered firearms that were once banned nationwide and are now largely the weapon of choice among those responsible for most of the country's devastating mass shootings. Advertisement 3 Rhode Island's state House approved legislation that would ban the sale and manufacturing of assault weapons. AP Gun control advocates have been pushing for an assault weapons ban in Rhode Island for more than a decade. However, despite being a Democratic stronghold, lawmakers throughout the country's smallest state have long quibbled over the necessity and legality of such proposals. Advertisement The bill only applies to the sale and manufacturing of assault weapons and not possession. Only Washington state has a similar law. Residents looking to purchase an assault weapon from nearby New Hampshire or elsewhere will also be blocked. Federal law prohibits people from traveling to a different state to purchase a gun and returning it to a state where that particular of weapon is banned. Advertisement Nine states and the District of Columbia have bans on the possession of assault weapons, covering major cities like New York and Los Angeles. Hawaii bans assault pistols. 3 Two men inspected AR-10s for sale at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds & Expo Center Gun Show in Belleville, Ill. REUTERS Democratic Rep. Rebecca Kislak described the bill during floor debates Friday as an incremental move that brings Rhode Island in line with neighboring states. 'I am gravely disappointed we are not doing more, and we should do more,' she said. 'And given the opportunity to do this or nothing, I am voting to do something.' Advertisement Critics of Rhode Island's proposed law argued that assault weapons bans do little to curb mass shootings and only punish people with such rifles. 'This bill doesn't go after criminals, it just puts the burden on law-abiding citizens,' said Republican Sen. Thomas Paolino. Republican Rep. Michael Chippendale, House minority leader, predicted that if the legislation were to become law, the US. Supreme Court would eventually deem it unconstitutional. 'We are throwing away money on this,' he said. It wasn't just Republicans who opposed the legislation. David Hogg — a gun control advocate who survived the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida — and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence described the proposed ban as the 'weakest assault weapons ban in the country.' 'I know that Rhode Islanders deserve a strong bill that not only bans the sale, but also the possession of assault weapons. It is this combination that equals public safety,' Hogg said in a statement. 3 A crowd of gun-rights advocates filled the State House rotunda in Rhode Island in March to protest a proposed ban on the manufacture and sale of assault-style weapons. David DelPoio/The Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Advertisement Elisabeth Ryan, policy counsel at Everytown for Gun Safety, rejected claims that the proposed law is weak. 'The weakest law is what Rhode Island has now, no ban on assault weapons,' Ryan said. 'This would create a real, enforceable ban on the sale and manufacture of assault weapons, just like the law already working in Washington state, getting them off the shelves of Rhode Island gun stores once and for all.' Nationally, assault weapons bans have been challenged in court by gun rights groups that argue the bans violate the Second Amendment. AR-15-style firearms are among the best-selling rifles in the country. The conservative-majority Supreme Court may soon take up the issue. Advertisement The justices declined to hear a challenge to Maryland's assault weapons ban in early June, but three conservative justices — Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas — publicly noted their disagreement. A fourth, Brett Kavanaugh, indicated he was skeptical that the bans are constitutional and predicted the court would hear a case 'in the next term or two.'
American Military News
31 minutes ago
- American Military News
Video: Proposed illegal immigrant detention center unveiled as ‘Alligator Alcatraz'
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican, recently proposed that the state create a new detention center for illegal immigrants at an old airport surrounded by the Everglades. Uthmeier suggested that the detention center could be called 'Alligator Alcatraz.' In a Thursday video shared on X, formerly Twitter, Uthmeier told Florida's Voice that the Miami-Dade Collier Training Facility, which he described as an 'old, virtually abandoned airport facility right in the middle of the Everglades,' could be transformed into an illegal immigrant detention center. 'Florida's been leading on immigration enforcement, supporting the Trump administration and ICE efforts to detain and deport criminal aliens,' Uthmeier stated. 'The governor tasked state leaders to identify places for new temporary detention facilities. I think this is the best one, as I call it, 'Alligator Alcatraz.'' 'This 30-square-mile area is completely surrounded by the Everglades,' Uthemeier added. '[It] presents an efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don't need to invest that much in the perimeter. People get out. There's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.' READ MORE: Trump tells ICE to focus deportations on 'core' of 'Democrat Power Center' Uthmeier explained that if the Miami-Dade Collier Training Facility was approved as a new detention facility for illegal immigrants, the facility could be 'up and running' within a period of 30 to 60 days. The Florida attorney general explained in the video that 'Alligator Alcatraz' could hold up to 1,000 'criminal aliens' if it is approved as an immigration detention facility. Uthmeier added that the facility could be ready to go in 30 to 60 days. Fox Business reported that the Miami-Dade Collier Training Facility would be Florida's largest detention facility for illegal immigrants if it is approved. 'This presents a great opportunity for the state of Florida to work with Miami-Dade and Collier counties,' Uthmeier concluded in the video. 'Alligator Alcatraz – we're ready to go.' Alligator Alcatraz: the one-stop shop to carry out President Trump's mass deportation agenda. — Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 19, 2025
an hour ago
Supreme Court rejects toy company's push for a quick decision on Trump's tariffs
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a push from an Illinois toy company asking for a quick decision on the legality of President Donald Trump's tariffs. Learning Resources Inc. wanted the justices to take up the case soon, rather than let it continue to play out in lower courts. The company argues the tariffs and uncertainty are having a 'massive impact' on businesses around the country and the issue needs swift attention from the nation's highest court. The justices didn't explain their reasoning in the brief order rebuffing the motion to fast-track the issue, but the Supreme Court is typically reluctant to take up cases before lower courts have decided. An appeals court is set to hear the case in late July. The company argues that the Republican president illegally imposed tariffs under an emergency powers law, bypassing Congress. It won an early victory in a lower court, but the order is on hold as an appeals court considers a similar ruling putting a broader block on Trump's tariffs. The appeals court has allowed Trump to continue collecting tariffs under the emergency powers law for now. The Trump administration has defended the tariffs by arguing that the emergency powers law gives the president the authority to regulate imports during national emergencies and that the country's longtime trade deficit qualifies as a national emergency.
