Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has publicly reversed his position on eliminating the Senate filibuster, calling his 2022 campaign stance on the issue a mistake. In a recent appearance on the Katie Miller Podcast, Fetterman stated, 'One thing I was absolutely wrong on — and I’ve been really very open talking about how wrong I am — is that in my cycle, in ’22, we were running to eliminate the filibuster. And we were so wrong, so wrong about that.'
Fetterman now argues that preserving the filibuster protects the rights of the minority party, whether Democratic or Republican. 'We have the risk of if we lose the filibuster, then the rights of the minority — whether that will be Democrat or Republican minority — would have effectively little to no voice,' he said. He praised former Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) for blocking efforts to eliminate the filibuster in 2022, stating they were 'vindicated' by his change in opinion.
The filibuster has been a contentious issue in the Senate, particularly during the Biden administration. In 2022, Sinema and Manchin joined Republicans to block Democratic efforts to weaken the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to advance most legislation. At the time, Fetterman criticized their stance, arguing the filibuster was preventing Democrats from enacting legislation supported by their constituents. Since taking office in 2023, however, Fetterman has increasingly broken with the progressive wing of his party on several issues, including government funding, immigration, and support for Israel.
Supporters of the filibuster argue it fosters bipartisan compromise and prevents drastic policy shifts when control of Congress changes. Meanwhile, some Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have recently pushed to eliminate the filibuster to pass legislation like the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has maintained the filibuster is critical to the Senate's function and intends to preserve it.