**The Lone Democrat Who Stood Alone: John Fetterman's DHS Funding Vote**
As the Department of Homeland Security hurtles toward a shutdown, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania cast a vote that put him at odds with his party. On Thursday, Fetterman voted to advance a yearlong spending bill for DHS, a decision that sets him apart from his Democratic colleagues.
"I can't vote to shut down critical parts of our government," Fetterman said in a video posted to his X account, referencing the $75B in funding for ICE from the Big, Beautiful Bill.
Fetterman's vote was not a surprise to those who know him. As a long-standing opponent of government shutdowns, the Pennsylvania senator has consistently taken a pragmatic approach to funding critical government agencies. "Shutting DHS down has zero impact and zero changes for ICE. ICE already has $75B in funding from the BBB that I did not vote for," Fetterman said, highlighting the disconnect between the shutdown and ICE's funding.
Fetterman's stance has drawn the ire of anti-ICE activists, who have protested outside his office in Philadelphia, chanting "ICE out" and holding signs bearing messages including "FETTERMAN VOTE NO on DHS BILL." But Fetterman has never supported a halt in government funding since he took office in 2023, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
**A Divided Senate**
As the White House and many Republicans argue that restrictions on ICE would prevent agents from carrying out the President's immigration agenda, Democrats have outlined demands for additional guardrails for immigration officers. The standoff has deepened, with no clear end in sight.
"We're talking, but we have to protect law enforcement," President Donald Trump said to reporters on Friday. "I know what they want, I know what they can live with. The Democrats have gone crazy."
Recent polls suggest that a majority of voters support blocking DHS funding without reforms to ICE. According to a survey by Hart Research for a Senate Democrat-aligned group, 54% of likely midterm voters supported blocking DHS funding without reforms to ICE. A separate poll by Data for Progress showed that 56% of voters support funding the TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard while making additional funding for ICE conditional on reforms.
**A Lonely Voice for Reform**
Fetterman's vote has sparked a renewed debate about the role of ICE and the tactics used in immigration enforcement. While his party has refused to pass an annual DHS funding bill without new restrictions on federal immigration enforcement, Fetterman has taken a different approach.
"Country over party is refusing to hit the entire Department of Homeland Security," Fetterman argued in a post on X on Friday. "Democracy demands a way forward to reform ICE without damaging our critical national security agencies.
