Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) sharply criticized fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman on Thursday, branding him a “lazy trust fund baby” in the wake of a Wall Street Journal report detailing the senator’s alleged neglect of his official duties. The attack underscores growing frustration within the state’s Democratic delegation over Fetterman’s performance.
“John Fetterman is a disgrace,” Boyle wrote on X. “Our state deserves better than a lazy trust fund baby who is too lazy to do the job.” The congressman’s remarks reference Fetterman’s own admission that his parents financially supported him into his forties, a detail that has fueled perceptions of privilege.
The Journal’s report claimed Fetterman avoided meeting with three disabled service members, later appearing on Fox News to discuss Israel and the war in Iran while seemingly in good health. He also reportedly tried to sidestep a meeting with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia officials concerned about Medicaid funding cuts in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA).
This is not the first time Boyle has taken issue with Fetterman’s approach. During the OBBA debate, Fetterman complained that the lengthy voting process caused him to miss “our entire trip to the beach,” drawing Boyle’s ire. “I will do whatever it takes, stay up for 48 straight hours, 72 straight hours, do whatever it takes to block this bill from becoming law,” Boyle said then, adding that every Democratic member should share that attitude.
The report also noted that over the past year, Fetterman attended 26 of 31 full committee hearings but did not speak in 20 of them, a record that has sparked outrage among Pennsylvania Democrats. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) echoed Boyle’s sentiments on X, saying, “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 added, “He is not up for the high office he was elected to — and we in Pennsylvania will do something about it in 2028.”
Democratic National Committee Vice Chair and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta told News Nation on Sunday that Fetterman “is somebody who has spent the past few years not doing his job. He is a part-time senator, full-time commentator on Fox News.” In a separate Friday statement, Kenyatta said, “2028 can’t come soon enough” and that Fetterman “barely showed up as LG and is constantly MIA as our Senator.”
The intra-party feud comes as Democrats grapple with broader questions about healthcare policy priorities and unity ahead of the midterms. Fetterman, who has taken unorthodox positions on Israel and other issues, has increasingly alienated progressives in his own party.
Pennsylvania Democrats are already eyeing 2028 as a potential opportunity to replace Fetterman, with Kenyatta and Deluzio signaling they may challenge him in a primary. The senator’s office has not yet responded to the latest criticisms, but the growing chorus suggests that patience with Fetterman’s unconventional style is wearing thin among his colleagues.
