Fetterman Says He's Being Shamed Into Showing Up

Sen. John Fetterman has been showing up for Senate duties more often lately, but not because he wants to. After suffering a stroke and being hospitalized for six weeks for treatment of depression, the Pennsylvania Democrat says he's being shamed into attending committee hearings, casting procedural floor votes, and performing the other day-to-day work of a senator. The reason for the change, Fetterman told the New York Times, is that "people in the media have weaponized" his absences to cast him as mentally unfit for the job.

He had just decided to spend more time at home instead of performing mundane tasks in the Capitol, Fetterman said. He calls being away from his family the worst part of the job. "I had to make a decision: getting here and sticking my thumb in the door for three seconds for a procedural vote or spend Monday night as a dad-daughter date," he said. And Fetterman said it bothers him that people have used his decision to seek treatment against him. "My doctor warned years ago: After it's public that you are getting help for depression, people will weaponize that," he said in the interview. "Simple things are turned. That's exactly what happened."

Colleagues are among those who have expressed concern over missed meetings and staffers leaving, saying they see Fetterman as isolated. Times analyses showed that last year and this year, he missed more votes than all but two other senators, all of whom were campaigning or caring for an ill spouse. A fellow Democrat and friend said the scrutiny is difficult for Fetterman. "John is hanging in," said Sen. Peter Welch. "It's fair to say this is pretty stressful. This is a hard thing." (More John Fetterman stories.)