This article originally appeared on vigilantfox.com and was republished with permission.
The Schumer Shutdown is finally over. On Wednesday night, the House passed a bill to effectively reopen the government by a vote of 222–209.
Before this vote happened, Democrats openly admitted they were using Americans as hostages, making air travel more dangerous, and putting vulnerable citizens at risk of food insecurity for “leverage.” And after 43 days of pain and suffering, it was all for nothing because they didn’t get what they wanted.
NEVER FORGET: Democrats shut down the government and admitted to using YOUR FAMILY as “leverage.”
43 days of pain and suffering.
All to give Democrats “leverage.” pic.twitter.com/xPGOvOBJAc
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) November 13, 2025
In the aftermath, AOC attacked the Democrats who voted to reopen the government as “traitors.” Sen. John Fetterman took issue with that on NewsNation, spelling out what “leverage” really means. And he even confronted the “democratic socialists” looking to take over his party.
Cuomo asked Fetterman: “What do you make of the argument that this was your only leverage, and without this, you’re at the mercy of the Republicans, and they don’t want to cut costs?”
Fetterman’s response exposed the real cost of using a government shutdown as “leverage.”
“No. I refuse to use American citizens, [make] food insecure, not pay our military — they are NOT my leverage,” he responded firmly.
“Those are fellow citizens. Those are the ones that I defend; those ones that I fight for. Some of them are the most vulnerable ones. I refuse to put them in the middle. Again, it’s a fundamental betrayal of what I think is our core party’s values.”
John Fetterman just casually made his own party look like MONSTERS with their “leverage” talk.
He spelled out what that leverage really means — and once you hear it this way, it makes you furious.
CUOMO: “What do you make of the argument that this was your only leverage, and… pic.twitter.com/aSCvItr65m
— Vigilant Fox (@VigilantFox) November 13, 2025
Moments later, Cuomo threw another question at Fetterman — to which he used the opportunity to fire off a blunt message to AOC, Bernie Sanders, and every “Democratic socialist” in his party.
CUOMO: “Do you believe this [government shutdown] may be, at least in part, about your party changing… that this may be a moment where [the democratic socialists] want to take over the party?”
To that, Fetterman delivered this blunt reality check: “I promise you America’s future and my party’s future is not socialism or kinds of outlandish, far-left kinds of ideas.”
He even said outright that the far-left wing is the reason Democrats are in this political hole.
“It’s been a year [since] we lost the election. And part of those ideas pushed our party over the cliff. And that’s why we’re in this situation right now. That’s why we’re firmly in the minority, and that’s why we’ve lost control of the White House.”
Fetterman kept going, drawing a clear line between what wins and what loses.
“If you think [socialism] is a solution, that’s fine, but it’s going to be a competition of ideas, and we know that’s not going to prevail,” Fetterman said.
“What’s going to prevail is common sense. What’s going to prevail is choosing this country over the extreme in our party. What’s going to prevail is common sense,” he stressed.
“And I do believe… we should respond [to Trump] with order and logic and patriotism and not shutting down our government right now,” Fetterman argued.
“And that’s where I’m at. And I don’t know why that’s controversial. That’s not a big tent party if you’re not allowed to have the opinion that it’s wrong to shut our government down and put these people in the middle of it — and now refer to [Democrats wanting to open up the government] as ‘You’re a traitor’ or these other kinds of labels.”
Sen. Fetterman fires off a blunt message to AOC, Bernie Sanders, and every “Democratic socialist” in his party.
As they try to take over the party, Fetterman gave them this reality check:
“I promise you America’s future and my party’s future is not socialism or kinds of… pic.twitter.com/rsX4kg12qW
— Vigilant Fox (@VigilantFox) November 13, 2025
Fetterman continues to prove he’s a rare kind of Democrat, opposing government shutdowns, refusing to call Republicans “Nazis,” and now pushing back against the rising popularity of socialism.
He sees the writing on the wall, and he’s slamming the brakes before more cities learn the hard way what New York City is about to suffer with Mamdani in charge.
Find more stories like this at VigilantFox.com
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