Senator John Fetterman has recently broken with the left on several big issues and is now doubling down on them, according to NBC reporter Sahil Kapur.
He reports that Fetterman told him “I am not a progressive” and is pushing his colleagues to fix the southern border and support Israel.
Here’s the news:
NEW: John Fetterman breaks with the left — fiercely supporting Israel and endorsing talks for tougher immigration laws.
“I’m not a progressive,” Fetterman tells @NBCNews, brushing back critics.
He’s hitting Dems for a double standard on Santos/Menendez.https://t.co/bUNugi3s54
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) December 15, 2023
FETTERMAN on curtailing migration:
“It’s a reasonable conversation — until somebody can say there’s an explanation on what we can do when 270,000 people are being encountered on the border, not including the ones of course that we don’t know about.”https://t.co/bUNugi3s54
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) December 15, 2023
Fetterman says he can be pro-immigration and favor asylum limits. He says it’s “not ideal” in the Ukraine/Israel aid context but “we have to deliver on this.” He wants Menendez to stop “running his mouth against Biden right now” for negotiating a deal.https://t.co/bUNugi3s54
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) December 15, 2023
Fetterman's unwavering support for Israel has drawn searing criticism from the left.
Some in the GOP are shocked by his stances on Israel + engaging on asylum laws.
"For a lot of Republicans, it’s been a pleasant surprise," says one PA GOP strategist.https://t.co/bUNugi3s54
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) December 15, 2023
Fetterman's chief of staff @AJentleson says neither the left nor the right should be surprised he's taking unconventional stances. "He's just being consistent," Jentleson says. "He spent the entire campaign telling people he wasn't a down-the-line lefty."https://t.co/bUNugi3s54
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) December 15, 2023