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Washington — Sen. John Fetterman has appeared uninterested in performing constituent service duties, according to text messages between the Pennsylvania Democrat and his staffers that were obtained by CBS News.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to publish the text messages, and reported that Fetterman has routinely dismissed and at times refused to do core aspects of the job, such as meeting with constituents, holding events in his home state and attending hearings. A former staffer confirmed the accuracy of the Journal’s story to CBS News.
In one incident, Fetterman reportedly told people he was sick to avoid meeting with a group of paralyzed military veterans from Pennsylvania. Instead, he appeared on Fox News. Fetterman also dismissed requests to meet with representatives of a children’s hospital and to attend the funerals of three slain police officers near his hometown, according to a set of 2025 text exchanges reviewed by CBS News.
The former staffer said of Fetterman: “You can’t have any sort of substantial conversation with him about any policy or strategy without it becoming completely derailed or unhinged.”
In a series of texts reviewed by CBS News, Fetterman asked one staffer why he had to keep meeting with people from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“Because they are worried about vaccines and Medicaid cuts,” the staffer responded.
“Well I’m not,” Fetterman said, later adding, “I’m convinced they just want free trips to DC.”
When three police officers were killed near York, Pennsylvania, last year, Fetterman balked at attending their funerals due to the length of the ceremony. A staffer noted at one point in the exchange that Pennsylvania’s other senator, Republican Sen. Dave McCormick, was not planning to attend the funerals.
“…the funeral will begin at noon and last at least 3 hours…” a staffer told Fetterman.
“3 hours??” Fetterman said.
“Yes it’s a very formal ceremony and the equivalent of 3 separate funerals,” the staffer said.
“This may be a nonstarter,” Fetterman said, noting that it would also be “9+ hours driving.”
Fetterman’s team did not respond to a request for comment from CBS News.
Democratic Reps. Chris Deluzio and Brendan Boyle, both of Pennsylvania, slammed the allegations about Fetterman’s behavior shortly after The Wall Street Journal’s report.
“There is a lot I could say about this report of John Fetterman’s pathetic behavior as a Senator. But between the laziness, disrespect, and willingness to carry water for a foreign government, it shows us something we already know: this man has no sense of duty,” Deluzio said Friday.
Boyle called Fetterman a “disgrace” and “lazy trust fund baby.”
A former Pennsylvania lieutenant governor known for opting to wear hoodies and shorts rather than jackets and ties, Fetterman was elected to the Senate in 2022. He won the Democratic primary by aligning himself with the party’s progressive wing, and defeated Republican nominee Mehmet Oz in the general election despite suffering a stroke during the campaign.
Fetterman is sometimes at odds with his Democratic colleagues. In recent months, he has backed President Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, and has been the sole Democratic senator to vote against reining in Mr. Trump’s Iran war powers. He also broke with his party during government shutdown fights, on confirming Pam Bondi as attorney general and in helping advance Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
His disagreements with Democrats have fueled speculation that he could leave the party. He has ruled out the idea of switching parties, writing in an op-ed, “I’d be a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.” But he said his red line is if the Democratic Party becomes “the anti-Israel party.”
