Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., publicly apologized for the failure of Democrat senators to act and reopen the federal government.
Addressing CNN's Manu Raju Thursday, Fetterman said, "I'm apologizing that we can't even get our s*** together and just open up our government."
The shutdown has entered its fourth week as both parties in the Senate remain deadlocked over funding for the new fiscal year.
Fetterman warned that the halt is beginning to bite, pointing to the looming expiration of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and the impact on working families.
"If a Democrat — you know, we're not allowed to just open this up, I mean, then our party has bigger problems than I thought we might have already," he said.
"It's like, that's not controversial. Pay everybody."
Fetterman described the inability to act as "an absolute failure," admitting that his wife's community food program is already seeing increased demand in Pennsylvania.
"My wife, Gisele, she develops the Free Store in our community," he said. "It distributes food three times a week, and her lines have already got longer."
"Now, I will encounter people that have no SNAP benefits starting on Saturday, and I don't have an explanation for them."
Fetterman's comments signal growing frustration among Democrats with their inability to break the impasse despite repeated calls to reopen the government.
The potential loss of SNAP benefits for about 42 million Americans has become a flash point, with food security advocates warning of serious hardship if the shutdown continues.
Fetterman emphasized that the failure to act is not just procedural but deeply personal for many on the ground.
"Imagine being a parent with a couple kids and how you're going to fill the refrigerator … when the things that they've depended on now is gone."
With no end in sight, lawmakers face mounting pressure to strike a deal before the shutdown's collateral damage grows wider.
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