Editorial: Fetterman's shiftlessness is an insult to his office and all Pennsylvanians

The Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sep 12, 2026

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News flash: U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is still an embarrassment.

The Pennsylvania Democrat enjoys one of the cushiest jobs in America, but he can’t perform basic duties like voting, attending committee hearings, or meeting with constituents.

Fetterman’s disdain for the job — which comes with a $174,000 annual salary, free healthcare, and months off at taxpayer expense — has been well documented. He whined about missing a family beach trip during a lengthy debate last year over Donald Trump’s costly and harmful One Big Beautiful Bill.

Several major media outlets have chronicled the senator’s dysfunction. In May 2025, New York Magazine detailed Fetterman’s erratic behavior as staffers expressed concerns about his mental health since suffering a stroke. The New York Times quoted staffers who feared his mood swings and were warned not to get in the car if he is driving.

The Washington Post reported on Fetterman’s clashes with Democratic colleagues and increased isolation, while Politico detailed efforts by Republicans to get Fetterman to switch parties.

The Inquirer disclosed last year how Fetterman lashed out at representatives from the teachers’ union, and cited a half dozen former staffers who said he skipped meetings and spent hours alone in his office scrolling on his phone.

“It’s pretty impossible to overstate how disengaged he is,” a departed staffer said.

Last week, a devastating story in the Wall Street Journal underscored the senator’s disregard for voters and his job in a story headlined: “Behind Closed Doors, John Fetterman Shows Little Interest in the Work of a Senator.”

The story included text messages between Fetterman and staffers that showed him dismissing executives from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) who wanted to discuss Medicaid cuts and changes to vaccine policy.

“Why do I have to keep having to meet with chop,” Fetterman texted an aide.

“Because they’re worried about Medicaid cuts,” the aide wrote.

Fetterman responded, “Well, I’m not,” before adding, “I’m convinced they just want free trips to DC.”

Fetterman later told CNN that comment was a “dumb joke, and for that, I sincerely apologize.”

In another exchange, Fetterman nixed a plan to attend a funeral for three police officers killed in the line of duty in York County, where he grew up. Apparently, Fetterman was put off by the time commitment.

“3 hours??” he wrote, before adding that attending the services “may be a nonstarter.” The senator did not go, but said he sent flowers and met with the families later.

The Journal reported that Fetterman also stiffed three disabled veterans who traveled to Washington to meet with him, alleging he was ill, only to appear later that day on Fox News to talk about Israel and the war in Iran.

Apparently, teachers, healthcare officials, police, and veterans take a backseat while Fox News and the Israel-Hamas war command Fetterman’s full attention. The senator has appeared on the conservative news outlet roughly 60 times this year and has gone on two junkets to Israel since 2024. (He even made a cameo at the GOP convention in Dallas Wednesday night to praise Trump and boost Republicans before the midterms.)

The Journal reported that Fetterman told aides he wanted to introduce a resolution to force lawmakers to vote on whether the war in Gaza constituted a genocide. But instead, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, suggested he write an op-ed explaining his support for Israel, while many Democrats have turned against the country because of killings and destruction in Gaza.

Leiter even supplied the talking points. But Fetterman’s aides did not tell him about the talking points out of fear that the op-ed would violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Fetterman did not publish the op-ed, but the incident reinforces the perspective of critics who argue that his tenure has been marked by complacency and carelessness: He was either unaware of the potential ramifications of penning the essay, or he chose to ignore them — both explanations should concern Pennsylvanians.

Like the previous reports, Fetterman called the Journal story a “hit piece.” The sad truth is the reports from his own staffers paint a picture of a lazy, unengaged, and unstable senator who is not up to the job.

Last year, this Editorial Board said Fetterman should either do his job effectively or step away.

In the private sector, most workers who fail to perform their basic job duties get fired. Unless Fetterman resigns, voters will get their chance to oust him in 2028.

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