John Fetterman

'Stealing Trump's homework isn't going to erase their failing grade'

At least one House Republican, Rep. Tom Massie, R-Ky., has vowed to vote against the legislation.

Congress has until March 14 to avert a shutdown.

Some Democrats are starting to publicly second-guess the party's stances on transgender rights and DEI programs — positions they've long embraced on principle, but now see as potential political liabilities.Why it matters: The issues are creating a divide among some of the most powerful people in the party, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and a few others widely seen as potential 2028 candidates for president.Newsom sent ripples through the party last week during a podcast interview with MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk. Echoing a GOP talking point, Newsom said he believed transgender women and girls playing in women's sports was "deeply unfair."The big picture: The remark by Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor and longtime supporter of LGBTQ causes, stung many progressives as a betrayal.Whether it represented a true shift in belief or a move of political convenience, it reflected a growing argument between Democrats — whether they should be more pragmatic on some social issues, or stand on principle at a critical moment.The backdrop for the debate is how Democrats — namely presidential nominee Kamala Harris — struggled last year to respond as Republicans spent tens of millions on ads bashing transgender women and girls in sports, and declaring that "Kamala is for they/them, Donald Trump is for you."Some Democrats quietly agree with Newsom. Others say emphatically that the party should support transgender people and others now targeted by Trump administration policies.The Human Rights Campaign, a prominent LGBTQ+ advocacy group, said in a statement: "Our message to Gov. Newsom and leaders across the country is simple: The path to 2028 isn't paved with the betrayal of vulnerable communities. It's built on the courage to stand up for what's right, and do the hard work to actually help the American people."Asked if Newsom supports any changes in the law to address fairness in women's sports, the governor's office declined to specify any.On his podcast, Newsom also criticized how some Democrats introduce themselves with their pronouns. "I had one meeting where people started going around the table with the pronouns," he said. "I'm like: 'What the hell? Why is this the biggest issue?'"Rahm Emanuel — former Chicago mayor and U.S. ambassador to Japan, who has played coy about a 2028 White House run — told Axios: "Some kids in the classroom are debating which pronouns apply, and the rest of the class doesn't know what a pronoun is. That's a crisis."Emanuel has said Democrats in power should focus on the historic decline in children's reading abilities in the aftermath of the pandemic.Democrats "can't be a party that believes in equity and allows two-thirds of your kids who can't read," he said last week in a speech at the Economic Club of Chicago.Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a 2028 presidential contender who's openly gay, removed his pronouns from his profile on X in recent months, according to the Internet Archive.A Buttigieg spokesperson didn't respond to Axios' request for comment.Zoom in: Democratic lawmakers also are fracturing about their positions on DEI programs and how to talk about race.Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Service Committee, told The New Yorker that some DEI programs go "off the beam, to my mind, when they imply that racism, bigotry and settler colonialism is the unique purview of white people. ... You don't need to imply that all white people are racists, and that all white people are oppressors."Newsom told Kirk that "not one person ever in my office has ever used the word LatinX."Between the lines: The term "woke" went mainstream during Black Lives Matter protests in 2014 and through Trump's first term, signifying a person who was alert to prejudice and discrimination that much of society didn't acknowledge.For millions of Americans, Trump and Republicans have turned "woke" into an insult — and a political dog whistle."Our country will be woke no longer," Trump said in his address to Congress.Zoom out: Trump has tried to put Democrats on the defensive on these issues in his first weeks in office.He signed several executive orders aimed at transgender and DEI policies implemented by President Biden, schools and businesses.One order banned transgender women and girls from competing in girls' and women's sports, prompting the NCAA to change its policy on transgender athletes.During last week's address, Trump highlighted the story of a high school volleyball player who suffered brain damage when a transgender girl hit the ball hard onto her head."From now on, schools will kick the men off the girls' team or they will lose all federal funding," Trump said. "We've ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies all across the entire federal government."Republicans in Congress have been forcing Democrats to take votes on legislation focused on transgender people.Republicans last week brought up legislation to prohibit schools receiving government funding from allowing transgender women and girls to participate in women's sports.Democrats unanimously opposed the measure in the Senate. But privately, they're workshopping their future responses to GOP attacks on transgender rights, Axios' Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols report.Some Democratic lawmakers have disagreed with the GOP-led legislation, but not the issue."I support fair play and safety and do not support transgender athletes competing in girls' and women's sports when it compromises those principles," Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) said in a statement after the vote.But Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has voted against his party on various issues, voted no and wrote on X: "The small handful of trans athletes in PA in a political maelstrom deserve an ally, and I am one."

'It’s probably not authentic'

Sen. John Fetterman's political statements and his blunt nature haven't necessarily translated to his voting record, which show he tends to vote with his party on key issues.

Letters: I recall this famous phrase: It's not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. If a service you liked before has been cut, consider volunteering your time.

"I don't know why we can't fully celebrate," Sen. John Fetterman said, criticizing fellow Democrats for not standing for 13-year-old cancer survivor DJ Daniel.

Democratic establishment and progressives are clashing with each other on messaging and party direction in the wake of President Donald Trump's address.

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, heckles Donald Trump during the president’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.

Congressional Democrats' internal divisions over how to combat President Trump surfaced with a fury Wednesday after the president was repeatedly heckled and disrupted during his speech to Congress. Why it matters: The party is in a rut, stumbling on finding the most effective counterattack to Trump's full-bore assault on the federal bureaucracy. That struggle played out on primetime television Tuesday night.Democrats have been bombarded by grassroots activists demanding they scrap norms and traditions in favor of bare-knuckle political brawling.But many party leaders and other establishment-oriented Democrats believe that a more narrow, subdued approach remains the most effective.A senior House Democrat told Axios that some moderates are angry at progressives for their outbursts, but added that "people are pissed at leadership too. ... Everyone is mad at everyone."What happened: Trump's speech was rocked by disruptions right from the start, with Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) repeatedly heckling the president until Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) ordered Green escorted out of the chamber.Democrats held up signs and wore shirts with slogans blasting DOGE and Elon Musk, walked out of the chamber in protest, and heckled Trump throughout his 100-minute speech.A large portion of Democrats opted for more traditional, silent forms of protest — color-coordinated outfits or refusing to stand or clap for most of the speech — without resorting to disruptive tactics.What they're saying: Rep. George Latimer (D-N.Y.) said he felt the disruptions were "inappropriate," telling Axios, "When a president — my president, your president — is speaking, we don't interrupt, we don't pull those stunts.""I didn't take that approach myself, so obviously I don't condone it," centrist Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) said of the disruptions.Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), in a post on X, lamented what he called a "sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance" and told Axios: "I don't think that's the way forward."Zoom in: It's not just about decorum and norms. Some Democrats argued that the disruptive lawmakers failed on the messaging front as well.Golden told Axios: "If anyone is thinking that it was an effective strategy, they're probably in an echo chamber. My take is that the average American thought the optics were pretty bad.""It would be a compliment to call it a strategy," said another centrist House Democrat, pointing to online photoshops of the signs members held up.The lawmaker also criticized colleagues who refused to applaud even Trump's guests: "Not standing for Trump would have been a fine strategy, but you need to separate him from the kid with cancer."Several House Democrats noted that most of the disruptors were mostly progressives from safe districts — arguing that swing-district voters were turned off by their outbursts.Yes, but: Some progressives are training their fire on leadership, arguing that a lack of top-down coordination left rank-and-file lawmakers to develop their own tactics.Even before the speech, "there was definitely frustration about lack of guidance [or a] plan," said one progressive lawmaker.Said another: "People are super pissed that we didn't get more direction from leadership."Leadership had urged members to attend the speech, bring guests negatively impacted by DOGE and not use props: "I actually believe that what happened yesterday — the leader did not want that," said the centrist Democrat.What to watch: Some Democrats aren't ruling out voting for Rep. Dan Newhouse's (R-Wash.) resolution to censure Green for "breach of proper conduct" when it comes up Thursday.Golden and Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.) told Axios they are undecided on the measure.The centrist House Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Axios: "What [Green] did was inappropriate — and he became the story, not the price of eggs."But other centrists argued there is a partisan double-standard at play: "I will vote against censure because the other side was equally or more misbehaved," said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas).

As a lifelong Democrat, I never imagined I would watch my own party embarrass itself so thoroughly— and so publicly — as it did during Tuesday’s joint session of Congress.

Democrats woke up furious the morning after some sought to bring the fight to President Trump during his address Tuesday to a joint session Congress, arguing their protests had backfired and underscored why their party lost November's election in the first place. “We never learn,” one Democratic strategist said flatly, feeling deflated by the Democrats’ [...]

'You don’t want to address'

'They do not support these goals'

'My mind is a storm,' the special government employee and technologist said.

Anchor Hocking, the company that owns the plant, announced in September that it was closing the plant. Since then the closure has been delayed repeatedly. The plant was supposed to close on Valentine's Day — but was instead given a fourth reprieve. And some workers say the constant uncertainty is wearing thin.

It took Trump to seal the deal where the Biden administration dawdled.

RFK Jr. will become Trump's health secretary, after winning over some GOP senators wary of his anti-vaccine views.

The Senate voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday. He has received 51 votes as of publication. The vote was mostly along party lines, though former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was the lone GOP holdout. The Senate confirmed Kennedy Jr. after a [...]

Sen. John Fetterman said "there isn’t a constitutional crisis" happening right now with the Trump administration, despite an outcry from fellow Democrats.

RFK Jr. passed a key Senate committee vote after a holdout GOP lawmaker, Sen. Bill Cassidy, backed him.

From the editorial, "But U.S. troops will not be able to quell the conflict. Both sides, Israel and the Palestinians, have sincere religious and historic ties to the region."

'We're still looking for that national spokesperson'

Everyone needs to cool it on the rhetoric, the Pennsylvania senator said Wednesday.

Tulsi Gabbard has been confirmed as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence, and while she did not receive support from Democrats, the party failed to exercise every option available to voice opposition to her—despite widespread security concerns that could affect every American and U.S. ally.On Monday night, Senate Republicans asked for “unanimous consent” to proceed with the nominations of Gabbard and Department of Health and Human Services nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The motion passed “without objection” from a single Democrat.xHoly shit. @schumer.senate.gov and the Senate Democrats couldn’t object to a basic UC (unanimous consent) time agreement to slow down a nominee like Gabbard?Disgraceful and humiliating surrender from these Democrats as they continue to hit your inboxes and messages begging (spamming) for money.— Murshed Zaheed (@murshedz.bsky.social) 2025-02-12T02:11:35.730ZThe moment encapsulates how Senate Democrats have handled many of Trump’s Cabinet nominees. While party leaders have voiced opposition to Trump and his picks, they have failed to use all of their power to slow the process. And in some instances, Democrats have even actively backed Trump’s picks.The biggest recipient of Democratic support was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former colleague of the senators who voted to confirm him. Not a single member of the Democratic caucus opposed Rubio’s nomination in his 99-0 confirmation vote. Across the political spectrum, Rubio received Democratic backing, including from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, and even Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.Empowered by these votes, Rubio is now working in concert with billionaire Trump donor Elon Musk to destroy the U.S. Agency of International Development—cutting off a vital pipeline for people across the world whose lives depend on U.S. support.Secretary of Transportation Sean DuffyOther key Trump nominees have also garnered Democratic support. Former MTV “The Real World” star Sean Duffy became secretary of transportation with the aid of 24 Democratic votes. Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins also garnered support from 24 Democrats. John Ratcliffe now leads the CIA after 21 Democrats voted to confirm him, and Doug Burgum became secretary of interior with 26 Democratic votes.Similarly, days before he began empowering Musk’s attacks on the Treasury Department, Scott Bessent earned 16 Democratic votes to become Treasury secretary. Kristi Noem became secretary of homeland security with 7 votes from Democrats, and Christopher Wright became secretary of energy with 8 Democratic votes. Fresh off of a humiliating loss in New York’s gubernatorial race, Lee Zeldin was confirmed as administrator of the EPA with 3 Democratic votes.However, only one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted to confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general.As with Gabbard, there was no Democratic love for now-Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who didn’t receive a single vote from the party.But even when they ultimately opposed Trump’s nominees in the final vote, Democrats voted for cloture, which allowed the Senate confirmation vote to proceed. The vote on Sean Duffy, for instance, got the green light when the Senate voted 97-0 for cloture.Democrats like Schumer have called out Trump’s actions and sounded the alarm on his attacks on U.S. democracy. But behind closed doors, many of those same leaders have been grumbling about receiving flack from Democratic voters for not doing everything they can to stand up to Trump.As long as the party keeps operating like business as usual, it can expect to receive even more criticism.Campaign Action

Columnist Joe Concha says he counts just three Democrats who seem to be sensible in the face of President Trump and Elon Musk's torrid pace of change.

On issue after issue — immigration, taxes, government spending, tariffs, DEI — Trump’s plans reflect genuine popular concerns but propose seriously misguided answers. His agenda cries out for a stiff dose of restraint and common sense.

Eleven cabinet nominees of President Donald Trump were successfully confirmed by the Senate thus far.

'HUD is failing at its most basic mission'

Scott Turner has been confirmed as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Scott Turner to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), cementing another one of President Trump’s Cabinet choices. Senators voted 55-44 on Turner’s nomination. Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) voted in support alongside every Republican. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said in a floor [...]

Pam Bondi has been sworn in as attorney general.

Democrats proved they’re willing to hurt Americans — and Israel — just to signal anger at President Trump.

Kennedy appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and another Senate panel Thursday.

Betar, a right-wing pro-Israel group, wants to help Trump identify targets for deportation

John Fetterman is the normie whisperer of DC. And beleaguered Democrats, who abandoned governing for virtue signaling, could use some of that normie energy about now.

Pittsburgh-area officials and social service agencies spent Tuesday scrambling to make sense of a sudden freeze in federal funding imposed by the Trump administration.

A memo from the Office of Personnel Management includes a "deferred resignation letter" for federal employees who wish to participate.

'We do have a problem at our southern border'

Democrats said that as written, the ICC sanctions bill would backfire on U.S. allies and companies.

'Illegitimate targeting of a key U.S. ally'

Kennedy will appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and another Senate panel on Thursday.

Kennedy will appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and another Senate panel on Thursday.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's Defense secretary pick, and his wife, Jennifer, make their way to a meeting with Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., in the Russell Senate Office Building on Dec. 12, 2024.

The Laken Riley Act would require the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes

The day’s pomp and unusual circumstances made for a lot of close-up encounters between political combatants, some awkward, some not.