Long day of Senate budget votes no 'trip to the beach' for Fetterman
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, would rather be anywhere than Washington.
On Monday, Fetterman and his Senate colleagues began considering a series of proposed amendments to President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts. The process was expected to take all day.
“Oh my God, I just want to go home. I’ve already missed our entire trip to the beach with my family,” Fetterman said in a video posted to X by a CBS News reporter.
Video-> pic.twitter.com/d04uw8e2Rp
— Alan He (@alanhe) June 30, 2025
Some Republicans have expressed concern with certain aspects of the budget, which includes a projected $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $1.2 trillion in spending cuts. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said 11.8 million Americans would become uninsured by 2034 and the deficit would grow $3.3 trillion over the next decade if the bill passes.
Republicans can’t afford many GOP defections, as they hold a 53-47 advantage in the Senate.
“I’m going to vote no, there’s no drama,” Fetterman said in the video.
“The only interesting votes are going to be on the margins. … All the Democrats, we know how that’s going to go,” Fetterman said. “I don’t think it’s really helpful to put people here until some ungodly hour.”
Tom Fontaine is director of politics and editorial standards at TribLive. He can be reached at tfontaine@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.