Lots to catch up on.
Let's get started.
Last week I received a "response" from Senator Fetterman. I put the word in quotation marks because he, again, doesn't seem to be responding to anything in particular.
Unlike the previous quasi-answer, this letter is a more general defense of his politicking in DC.
It starts:
I ran for this office because I wanted to make the federal government work for Pennsylvanians in every one of our 67 counties. That commitment hasn’t changed. I’m continuing to fight for working people by protecting workers’ rights like collective bargaining, pushing for universal free school lunch, safeguarding Social Security and Medicare, holding corporations accountable, giving Pennsylvania’s farmers what they need to feed the world, and making health care more accessible and affordable.
Under President Biden, we were able to get a lot done, and we made significant investments across the commonwealth. Now as we enter President Trump’s second term, my goal of a better, stronger Pennsylvania isn’t changing, and the values I’ve fought for won’t change either. Moving the ball forward on these things will mean working with President Trump and Republicans in Congress on the stuff we can agree on. But I want to be clear that I will fight back when I disagree, and I won’t flinch when it comes to protecting your rights, defending our democracy, and standing up for forgotten communities.
And a few lines later:
I have decided that the best approach to get things done for Pennsylvanians is to engage directly with Administration officials and Cabinet members to advocate for specific changes and action. I don’t believe that having a brawl in the press is the most likely road to success for our communities, which will always be my ultimate goal.
OK. Let me first point out that in normal political times, this would an exceedingly practical and rational position to take for anyone. Right or left.
However, do I really need to point out to our senior Senator that these times are not normal?
For example:
Birthright Citizenship
From SCOTUS Blog:
The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the legality of President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end the guarantee of citizenship to virtually everyone born in the United States. In a pair of nearly identical filings, U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the justices to review a ruling by a federal appeals court holding that the order violates the Constitution, as well as a similar decision by a federal judge in New Hampshire. Sauer told the court that “the mistaken view that birth on U.S. territory confers citizenship on anyone subject to the regulatory reach of U.S. law became pervasive, with destructive consequences.”
The filing starts with this:
The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment provides that those “born...in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” are U.S. citizens. The Clause was adopted to confer citizenship on the newly freed slaves and their children, not on the children of aliens temporarily visiting the United States or of illegal aliens. On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order No. 14,160, Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship, which restores the original meaning of the Citizenship Clause and provides, on a prospective basis only, that children of temporary visitors and illegal aliens are not U.S. citizens by birth. [Emphasis added.]
In normal times the executive would understand that he/she/they simply does not have the authority to redefine these words with an executive order:
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.
In normal times, this would not stand a chance.
Due Process
Speaking of the 14th Amendment, it starts with this:
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
In normal times, the meaning here is clear: everyone (as it says "any person") is entitled to due process and equal protection of the laws.
And yet NBC reported:
President Donald Trump argued in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that fulfilling his ambitious campaign promise to rapidly carry out mass deportations may take precedence over giving immigrants the right to due process under the Constitution, as required by courts.
And:
When [NBC's Kristen] Welker tried to point out what the Fifth Amendment said, Trump suggested that such a process would slow him down too much.
“I don’t know. It seems — it might say that, but if you’re talking about that, then we’d have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials,” he said. “We have thousands of people that are — some murderers and some drug dealers and some of the worst people on Earth.”
“I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it,” he added.
Darn courts following the darn Constitution.
Not normal times, Senator.
Not engaging in these (or any of the very many other) egregious assaults on our fundamental rights does nothing but normalize the assault itself.
This is what you're doing, Senator. You're not a voice of moderation. You're allowing the assault to continue.
Grow a back bone, John. Pull up your big-boy pants and resist Donald Trump. In your heart, you know it's the right thing to do.
The email from the Senator:
Dear David:Thank you for reaching out to my office. I appreciate hearing from you.
I ran for this office because I wanted to make the federal government work for Pennsylvanians in every one of our 67 counties. That commitment hasn’t changed. I’m continuing to fight for working people by protecting workers’ rights like collective bargaining, pushing for universal free school lunch, safeguarding Social Security and Medicare, holding corporations accountable, giving Pennsylvania’s farmers what they need to feed the world, and making health care more accessible and affordable.
Under President Biden, we were able to get a lot done, and we made significant investments across the commonwealth. Now as we enter President Trump’s second term, my goal of a better, stronger Pennsylvania isn’t changing, and the values I’ve fought for won’t change either. Moving the ball forward on these things will mean working with President Trump and Republicans in Congress on the stuff we can agree on. But I want to be clear that I will fight back when I disagree, and I won’t flinch when it comes to protecting your rights, defending our democracy, and standing up for forgotten communities.
We’ve seen a lot of chaos out of the White House over President Trump’s first few months in office – from DOGE, to cuts to critical research programs, to the firing of federal workers in our communities and across the country. When this chaos hurts Pennsylvanians, I’ve pushed back and called it out. When NIH funding was threatened for Pennsylvania’s world class research institutions and universities, I called it out. When the administration took shots at federal unions and workers’ rights, I made it clear where I stand. And with DOGE and Republicans in DC threatening Social Security, I’ve doubled down on my commitment to protecting this sacred, critical program.
I have decided that the best approach to get things done for Pennsylvanians is to engage directly with Administration officials and Cabinet members to advocate for specific changes and action. I don’t believe that having a brawl in the press is the most likely road to success for our communities, which will always be my ultimate goal.
Republicans hold majorities in both the House and the Senate. The unfortunate reality is that this means progress on a lot of the legislation I care about most will be hard to come by for the next few years. But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying. I will continue to find every possible opportunity I can to bring federal investments back to the commonwealth and deliver meaningful wins for Pennsylvania families.
I believe that Pennsylvanians deserve a strong voice in Washington, so hearing from constituents like you about these critical issues is essential to my work. I’m here in D.C. fighting for solutions that deliver real results for Pennsylvanians and every corner of our commonwealth. Please know that as long as I’m your senator, that’s what I’ll always do.
Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts. Please do not hesitate to reach out in the future about other issues of importance to you. If I can be of assistance, or if you’d like to learn more about my work on behalf of Pennsylvanians and our commonwealth, I encourage you to visit my website, https://www.fetterman.senate.
gov/. Sincerely,
John Fetterman
United States Senator
