Fetterman says Senate Democrats who vote against government funding bill are "free riders"

 

Sen. John Fetterman talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, DC on Thursday. 

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman said Friday that those in his party upset with members voting to keep the government open are “free riders” because shutting it down wasn’t a good option.

“There are going to be people that are going to vote no on this, but they will be free riders because they know, secretly, they know that shutting the government down is (going) to be a disaster,” the Pennsylvania Democrat told CNN.

Fetterman, who came out early in support of the Republican funding bill, said Democrats would never have had any options to get out of a shutdown.

“Now the people in the House on the Democrats are yelling, ‘Shut the government down.’ Well, tell me how that’s going to end, because they’re going to realize what you know: the GOP owns the open exit ramp. How do you get out of it?” he said.