Bessent Hails Fetterman as Lone Dem Backing Warsh Fed Pick
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- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent praised Sen. John Fetterman and Republican senators on X for putting "country before political ideology" after Warsh's confirmation, though he did not mention Fetterman by name
- Fetterman was the only Senate Democrat to back Kevin Warsh's nomination to succeed Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair, with the final vote tally 54-45
- The nomination had stalled over Sen. Thom Tillis's (R-N.C.) opposition to the Justice Department's criminal probe against Powell
- Bessent wrote that "Chairman Warsh will usher in a new day at an institution that is in need of accountability, sound policy guidance, and the renewed sense of purpose to help guide our economy"
- Fetterman has repeatedly broken with Democratic leadership, including on government shutdown votes, the confirmation of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to lead DHS, and his support for the joint U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran
- Senate Republicans and President Trump are reportedly lobbying Fetterman to switch parties or become an independent ahead of November's midterms
- Fetterman told comedian Bill Maher: "I'm a committed Democrat," adding that he "thought we were supposed to be a big tent party" after some in the party branded him a "traitor"
Why it matters: Fetterman was the sole Democratic vote for Trump's Fed chair pick, deepening his isolation in a caucus that has openly called him a traitor. With Trump and Senate Republicans actively recruiting him to switch parties ahead of the midterms, Fetterman now wields unusual leverage — his next cross-aisle vote could reshape Democratic messaging on Fed independence and economic policy heading into November.
