Welcome back to Barf Bag.
We must unfortunately talk about Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, whose term does not end until January 2029. He ran as a “progressive” once upon a time, but he now seems to only find joy in defending the Israeli government and mocking pro-Palestinian activists.
As you likely know, the House passed a horrible bill on Thursday to fund Donald Trump‘s agenda after the Senate narrowly approved it on Tuesday after an overnight session. The bill now goes to the president’s desk, and we can expect a disgusting signing ceremony tomorrow, the Fourth of July, where he’ll act like it’s patriotic to fund a secret police force.
While it’s shameful that Republicans moved to pass this atrocity before a holiday weekend when many people are checked out, it’s also enraging that a certain Senator doesn’t seem to want to put up a fight.
Trump had been hammering that he wanted this bill passed by July 4, and the Republican-led Senate started taking votes on it on Saturday. That day, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he would force Senate clerks to read the entire 940-page bill out loud to delay a final vote. It’s a move that ultimately pushed voting to start on Monday, when more people were probably paying attention.
But Fetterman wasn’t happy with the idea. He told Semafor, “It’s not like it’s pathetic to force the clerk to read it or anything.”
Fetterman not really happy with Dems forcing the clerk to read the bill: “it’s not like it’s pathetic to force the clerk to read it or anything”
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev.bsky.social) 2025-06-28T20:45:17.862Z
Late Monday morning, CBS News asked Fetterman what he knew about the timing of the vote. He said that he was going to vote no and complained about being forced to show up in person for his job. “Oh my God, I just want to go home. I’ve already my, I’ve missed our entire trip to the beach,” he said. “I don’t think it’s really helpful to put people here ’til some ungodly hour.”
Ah, so Schumer’s delay tactic wasn’t actually pathetic; he was just mad about missing his paid vacation time, funded by Americans!
Here's John Fetterman complaining to CBS News' Alan He that the votes on the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" are eating into his vacation time."Oh my God, I just want to go home. I've already my I've missed our entire trip to to the beach!"
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) 2025-06-30T19:09:56.846Z
This is the same lawmaker who said he was shamed into showing up to his job after he kept missing committee hearings and procedural votes that he called “performative” and claimed that people had “weaponized” his openness about his mental health struggles. (There’s also legitimate concern about his health following a 2022 stroke and 2023 hospitalization for depression, with former staffers—many of whom have since quit—alleging that he is not taking his prescribed medications. In May, he reportedly blew up during a meeting with a Pennsylvania teachers’ union.) The New York Times even wrote the following, “His pro-Israel stance gave him a sense of purpose on Capitol Hill in a job he otherwise did not enjoy.”
Buddy, just quit your job if you hate it so much! Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) can appoint someone else to serve the rest of your term. Maybe someone from the Senate primary, like former Congressman and veteran Conor Lamb, or state representative Malcolm Kenyatta? Or literally anyone else who will actually do their fucking job?
Lamb, who wouldn’t necessarily be my first pick, ran in the moderate lane. Kenyatta, also a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, is certainly more progressive than Lamb, and we love him for it.
When I ran for the US Senate I said we needed to reform the Supreme Court and expand it to preserve the rule of law. Many called me crazy. I was fucking right.
— Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta.bsky.social) 2025-06-27T16:54:39.416Z
But please note this response Lamb posted defending Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and dragging Fetterman after the Senator voted for the GOP budget resolution in March. Recall that Fetterman joined the spineless caucus to approve the resolution rather than let a government shutdown happen—which would have been entirely the GOP’s fault, by the way. The proposal needed 60 votes to pass the Senate, but Republicans hold just 53 seats, and 10 Democrats voted yes.
The Senator took a swipe at AOC on Twitter for saying that Democrats need to fight harder. Lamb correctly pointed out that Fetterman was collaborating with people who are actively harming Pennsylvanians.
AOC responded: “I was wrong about you and I’m sorry 😭 Where do I submit my Conor Lamb apology form.” Lamb handled it with grace and the energy we all need right now, replying: “No need – clearly we have been on the same side of the oligarchy question (against) and protecting social security and Medicare (for)….lets make that team as big as possible. Good luck on the road.”
We love to see this coalition building! But again, there are probably loads of people who would be better at this job than Fetterman is. All he has to do is quit, and then he can spend as many days as he wants at the beach.
Trump-related barf:
- A January 6 Rioter who threatened police and was pardoned by Trump has “been named as an adviser to the Justice Department task force that President Trump established to seek retribution against his political enemies.” [New York Times]
- Speaking about the budget bill, it will kick more than 10 million people off Medicaid. Vice President JD Vance said the “minutiae” of Medicaid policy is less important than giving billions more in funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. [Twitter]
- The Department of Homeland Security wants a one-week notice before members of Congress can visit detention facilities. [New York Times]
- At a recent DHS job fair, agents emphasized that “free” travel, including accompanying deportation flights, is the best part of their job. [n+1 mag/Bluesky]
- Trump, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and Gov. Ron DeSantis yukked it up in front of literal cages ahead of the opening of Florida’s new concentration camp called Alligator Alcatraz. Oh, and the prison has merch. [Bluesky/The Handbasket]
- After White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned ICEblock, an app that allows people to share ICE sightings, it became the top social networking app in the App Store. [NBC News]
- Our big dumb president is hawking $249 fragrances that come in a bottle topped with a golden statue of himself. [The Independent]
- A guy is putting together a group of Democrats to come up with Project 2029, modeled after the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. I don’t trust these folks not to sell out abortion seekers or trans people. [New York Times]
This has been your weekly Barf Bag, thanks for reading!
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