Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) issued an apology Thursday on behalf of Senate Democrats for their failure to vote to end the ongoing government shutdown.
In an interview with CNN’s Manu Raju, Fetterman expressed frustration that federal workers remain unpaid and that many families may struggle to feed their children as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are set to expire.
He said he was sorry for the situation and acknowledged his party’s role in the stalemate.
“And like I said, to all of the viewers, I’m apologizing that we can’t even get our s— together and just open up our government,” Fetterman said, per the New York Post.
The government shutdown has entered its fourth week, with Republicans and Democrats in the Senate still deadlocked over spending legislation to start the new fiscal year. The stalemate is now jeopardizing the SNAP, also known as food stamps, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture warns could leave roughly 42 million Americans without benefits if the shutdown continues.
New SNAP funding was supposed to be distributed Nov. 1.
In his interview with Raju, Fetterman said he expects to witness the effects of the SNAP funding lapse firsthand when he returns home to Pennsylvania.
“I’m saying that I’ll witness it firsthand,” he said. “My wife, Giselle, she develops the Free Store in our community. It distributes food three times a week.