Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said Saturday that he will work together with fellow Pennsylvania GOP Senator Dave McCormick for "a better Pennsylvania."
The two had dinner together and had a "great discussion," Fetterman said to reporters at the opening of the Pennsylvania Farm Show, one day after McCormick was sworn in as the state's junior senator.
Fetterman said he would miss his "dear friend" Bob Casey, whom McCormick defeated, but he looks “forward to making a new one and working with him.”
After meeting with President-elect Donald Trump's Agriculture Secretary nominee Brooke Collins as a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Fetterman said he would vote to confirm her.
He acknowledged that they have different views, but said she "has a strong background."
Fetterman has met with several of Trump's nominees, which makes him different from most Democrats.
He doesn't know why that should be unusual, he said.
“Some I can vote for, like the incoming Secretary of Agriculture, or [Secretary of State nominee and Florida Sen.] Marco Rubio or Representative [Elise] Stefanik, and there’s others, perhaps, that I will not,” Fetterman said. “But whoever I vote [for], it’s going to be an informed choice. And I see that as doing my job. I don’t see that as controversial.”
Fetterman has come a long way since he was elected only weeks after having a stroke that rendered him less than articulate for a while (unflattering comparisons were made to President Joe Biden's frequent gaffes and stumbling over words).
He has taken a unique position among Democrats on several issues in the last year, including vocal, unconditional support for Israel after it was viciously attacked by Hamas in October 2023.
More recently, he said that while he supports legal immigration and his wife Gisele was undocumented, he also wants a secure border.
He expects to support legislation to that end that will likely be put forward by Trump when he gets into office.
He's always been someone who marches to his own beat--he is known for wearing hoodies and athletic shorts on the campaign trail and the Senate floor rather than professional attire.
While there is much Republicans still disagree with him about, he has earned a somewhat grudging respect for his willingness to buck the party line.
