FETTERMAN, McCORMICK DISCUSS A RANGE OF ISSUES AT EDWARD KENNEDY INSTITUTE
BOSTON, June 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- United States Senators John Fetterman (D-PA) and David McCormick (R-PA) embodied bipartisanship today at the most recent installment of The Senate Project series at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.
During a wide-ranging and collegial 35-minute discussion in the Institute's full-sized replica of the US Senate Chamber, the Senators touched on — and mostly agreed on — a host of national and international issues. Moderated by FOX News anchor Shannon Bream, the event was the sixth installment of The Senate Project, a joint initiative by the Kennedy Institute and the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation of Utah sponsored by FOX News Media. The event further solidified the Kennedy Institute, with its mission to foster bipartisanship, as the premier forum for cross-aisle discussions about pressing national issues.
The discussion also gave Fetterman the opportunity, in the wake of recent media coverage questioning his fitness to hold office, to display his engagement, focus, and cogency. Through a series of questions ranging from anti-semitism on American campuses, to Israel's right to defend itself and the threat posed by Iran, to Pennsylvania's steel industry and President Trump's economic bill, Fetterman revealed a bipartisan streak and deep grasp of policy details.
Fetterman acknowledged that his support of efforts to secure the border and of Israel have hurt his standing among some Democrats and left-leaning media. He said those positions are behind the "smear" leveled by critics who alleged he is not engaged in his job.
"The more, I started to … be following Israel or the border, and now, really refusing to vote to shut the government down, I've continued to get more and more kinds of incoming (criticism)," he said. "So the more left kind of media continues to have these kinds of attacks, and it's just part of a smear and that's just not accurate. I'm here. I'm doing that job … I've always been there."
"I'll take the beating, because that's I think what defines leadership," Fetterman said.
The Senate Project series brings together sitting US Senators from opposing parties for civil dialogue about current political issues, with the goal of identifying solutions and bridging partisan divides. The series reflects the bipartisanship embodied by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and the shared mission of the Kennedy Institute and Hatch Foundation to advance cooperation between members of both major parties.
"The Senate Project continues to play an important role facilitating dialogue between Democrat and Republican Senators who might not otherwise have the opportunity to discuss and debate critical matters of the day," Kennedy Institute Chairman Bruce Percelay said. "Today's event demonstrates the importance of bipartisan dialogue and we look forward to expanding our role as a convener of leaders from both parties."
Hatch Foundation Executive Director Matt Sandgren added, "Senator Hatch believed the Senate was at its best when disagreement was met with respect and conviction was tempered by civility. The Senate Project continues to prove that principle can thrive even in these divided times. We're grateful to FOX News for extending the conversation beyond the chamber, and to Senators Fetterman and McCormick for showing that serious, respectful debate still has a place in American politics."
Fetterman and McCormick agreed on several issues, including:
- The need for sanctions against Russia;
- Stronger border security;
- The dismantling of Iran's nuclear program; and
- Provisions in Nippon Steel's acquisition of US Steel negotiated by the Trump Administration that made the purchase more palatable to the US steel industry.
McCormick noted that Republicans have "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to enact their agenda with control of the White House and both legislative bodies. That agenda, he said, must center on tax cuts, a stronger national defense, and showing "we can begin to reduce the cost of government."
He noted the House's recent passage of President Trump's economic bill and predicted the Senate will try to make further spending cuts in its version.
For his part, Fetterman said he supports parts of Trump's "big, beautiful bill," but does not support cuts to social programs like Medicaid and SNAP.
FOX News' Bream opened the discussion by referencing Sunday's alleged hate crime in Colorado directed against participants in a pro-Israel rally. The discussion quickly turned to instances of antisemitism on US college campuses and other common spaces.
"People follow me and scream 'free Palestine,' " Fetterman said. "The Jewish community is constantly under assault… That's not free speech. Building tent cities on campus and terrorizing Jewish students, that's not free speech."
McCormick agreed that the federal government is right to press universities to combat anti-Jewish attitudes. "We have to require that our institutions extricate themselves from antisemitism," he said.
Both Senators credited Israel for degrading the military capabilities of Hamas and Hezbollah and taking actions to counter Iran's efforts to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. They also concurred on the need for stiff sanctions against Russia for its continued aggression against Ukraine.
"When I grew up, Russia was always the Evil Empire and that hasn't changed," Fetterman said. He added that the triumvirate of Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, which is facing its own existential threat from China "stand for global democracy. And that's always going to be the side where I'm going to remain."
The Senators said they have built a great relationship as they represent what Fetterman called one of the "most purple" states in the country.
"The same people that elected me elected him for the most part. We've got a lot of overlap," Senator McCormick said, saying both of them care deeply about Pennsylvania and the country.
Previous Senate Project installments at the Kennedy Institute have featured Senators Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, and Bernie Sanders, the liberal Vermont Independent; Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, and Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa; and Marco Rubio, then a Republican Senator from Florida, and Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware.
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SOURCE Edward M Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate