Lashing out at media critics instead of assuming responsibility, Democrat Senator John Fetterman (PA) claims a “smear” campaign is behind damaging reports.
Specifically, the senator is crying foul after it was revealed he holds a 10% absence rate from Senate votes.
Fetterman defended himself during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with Shannon Bream, dismissing criticisms of his Senate attendance record as politically motivated.
The senator claimed the votes he missed were merely “throwaway votes” that typically occurred on travel days and were not essential to Senate business.
According to reports, Fetterman has missed 30 floor votes this year, amounting to about 10% of all votes taken.
This absentee rate ranks him with the third-worst attendance record in the Senate for 2024.
The fact triggered calls from The Philadelphia Inquirer for him to either improve his performance or resign.
Fetterman pointed out that fellow Democrats, including prominent liberal Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Patty Murray, have frequently missed votes without facing similar media criticism or calls for resignation.
Fetterman suggested the real motivation behind the negative coverage stems from his positions on key issues that break from progressive orthodoxy.
“The left kind of media continues to have these kinds of attacks. It’s just part of a smear, and it’s just not accurate,” he argued. “For all of those important votes, I’ve always been there.”
“I think that there’s a smear happening because of my pro-Israel stance, or that I don’t support illegal immigration, or some of the other kinds of things,” Fetterman stated during the Fox interview.
The controversy emerged during a debate with Republican Senator Dave McCormick (PA) at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston.
Despite their partisan differences, McCormick actually defended Fetterman against claims that his health issues affect his ability to perform his congressional duties.
While absent for some votes, Fetterman has maintained a consistent stance on policy issues, including his opposition to President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to Medicaid and food stamps.
During the debate, McCormick advocated for changes to Medicaid to ensure benefits reach their intended recipients.
“What I’m arguing for is that we need to cut out the use of those programs to make them viable by people for whom they were designed,” McCormick said.
“Now, of course, the risk is in reducing those costs, you hurt the vulnerable people. And so, I think we probably share the goal that we don’t want to hurt vulnerable [people],” he added.
Meanwhile, Fetterman expressed concerns about potential impacts on vulnerable populations and the national debt.
