Fetterman Says Some Democrats Possibly Afraid To Reopen DHS Due To Party Activists
Progressive policy ambitions meet practical realities as Americans weigh costs and consequences.
The mainstream framing treats this DHS shutdown like just another partisan food fight, with activists as colorful background noise. Fetterman is saying the quiet part out loud: some Democrats are **afraid of their own protest class**, even when the consequence is TSA agents working without pay and travelers stuck in chaos. That matters because DHS is not a campus debate.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
Fetterman Says Some Democrats Possibly Afraid To Reopen DHS Due To Party Activists Authored by Chase Smith via The Epoch Times, Sen. John Fetterman said Wednesday night that activist pressure within his own party is prolonging the partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, offering his observations from within the Democratic caucus for why the standoff has stretched into its sixth week.
Appearing on Fox News’ “Hannity” on March. 25, the Pennsylvania Democrat said ongoing protests against the Trump administration—such as the “No Kings” rallies nationwide—have left some senators unwilling to vote to restore DHS funding.
He said they “might be afraid to reopen” the government because demonstrators are pushing demands that he said were never achievable. Fetterman called the shutdo...
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
The mainstream framing treats this DHS shutdown like just another partisan food fight, with activists as colorful background noise. Fetterman is saying the quiet part out loud: some Democrats are afraid of their own protest class, even when the consequence is TSA agents working without pay and travelers stuck in chaos.
That matters because DHS is not a campus debate. It is border and aviation security, and the people keeping airports moving are not leverage. Making funding contingent on sweeping ICE restrictions or unrelated social-policy riders turns basic governance into a bargaining chip.
A conservative view starts with rule of law and public trust. Enforce immigration law, fund the agencies tasked with it, and keep politics from hollowing out essential functions. If a party cannot ignore activists long enough to pay federal workers and secure the border, the principle at stake is institutional stability, not messaging.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.