senator. John FettermanPennsylvania Democrat says he doesn’t want another government shutdown Fellow Democrats moved to block a bill that would fund immigration agencies like ICE, a move that raises the possibility of a government shutdown.

The Democratic senator, known for not toeing the party line, joined “Hannity” on Monday to discuss how Democrats could vote against funding the Department of Homeland Security unless new guardrails are put in place for immigration enforcement strategies.

“If the Democrats vote to shut it down, our entire military will stop getting paid,” Fetterman said. “I can never support that.”

The senator said his opposition stemmed from the devastating consequences of the last government shutdown, which ended in November.

Democrats’ dilemma: Gradual push to ‘abolish ice’ sparks new divisions within party

Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman speaks with reporters as he arrives for the vote at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“At least I’m still a Democrat who refuses to shut down our government,” he told Fox News. “If that happens, our troops won’t get paid because a large part of our government will shut down again.”

this Alex Pretty was shot In mourning the deaths of Pretty and Renee Goode, Fetterman acknowledged that a federal agent mobilized Senate Democrats over the weekend in Minneapolis to oppose the appropriations bill.

“We lost two American citizens. I don’t think anyone in America wants that,” Fetterman told host Sean Hannity.

ICE funding bill draws criticism from left and right as shutdown deadline approaches

Screenshots from the video show that on January 24, 2026, Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents after a law enforcement officer sprayed an irritant on him in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Reuters)

Fetterman said the deaths should not be grounds for a government shutdown, which he said would only exacerbate the national harm.

Instead, he called for a wider debate on: immigration enforcement operations and reform of ICE policy.

“I actually hope we can engage in a debate and make some common-sense reforms to ICE to make it safer, more humane, more effective, and focus only on criminals,” Fetterman said.

Fetterman made clear that he does not support abolishing or cutting funding for federal immigration agencies.

“I reject calls to defund or abolish ICE,” he declared in a statement. Post to X on Monday.

Key senator won’t fund DHS when ICE and federal agents come into his state

Residents surrounded federal and Border Patrol agents as they planned to escape after an immigration raid on Atlantic Avenue. June 19, 2025 in Bell, California. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

At the same time, the senator said he strongly disagrees with ICE’s “strategies and practices” in this regard. minneapolis and argue They “must change.”

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“we should all agree deport all criminals They are in our country now,” Fetterman told Fox News.

“As a pro-immigration Democrat, I do think we need to find a way Citizenship for hard-working immigrants They are in this world too,” he added.