John Fetterman

Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against a resolution to limit President Trump's military actions in Iran.

Two days after the vote, Fetterman's chief of staff, Cabelle St. John, resigned from her position.

Fetterman has consistently voted against measures to curtail the president's military actions, citing the need to hold Iran accountable.

The senator has also broken from his party on other issues, leading to speculation about his political future.

Yet again, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman stood alone as the sole Democrat in opposition to a resolution seeking an end to President Donald Trump's attacks in Iran. Two days later, his chief of staff resigned.

On May 19, the Senate advanced a measure to end the war in Iran by 50-47, USA TODAY reported. Similar measures have repeatedly failed, with Fetterman breaking from his party to cast the deciding vote against a similar resolution less than a week earlier on May 13.

May 19 marked the eighth time the senator from Pennsylvania has voted against stopping Trump from attacking Iran uninhibited.

On May 21, two days after Fetterman voted against the measure to end the war in Iran, his chief of staff resigned, according to Axios. Cabelle St. John, the third chief of staff to leave Fetterman's office since he joined the Senate in 2023, served in the role less than a year, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Here's what we know about her resignation, and what Fetterman has said about his support of Trump's attacks in Iran.

Did Fetterman's chief of staff resign because of his vote against ending war in Iran?

St. John's resignation was due to longtime frustrations, according to The Inquirer, some of which were related to Fetterman's relationship with David "Dovi" Safier, a fundraiser for Othodox Jewish causes who, according to New York Magazine, has an "unusually large influence" over Fetterman.

St. John was the final original staffer left on Fetterman's team, the Inquirer reported, noting that she started as his scheduler when he entered the Senate in 2023.

Fetterman has seen massive turnover because of his support of Israel, his attitude toward Trump and interpersonal issues, Axios reported.

In a comment to Axios, Fetterman shared an image that showed other offices with turnover rates that are purportedly higher than his.

"So much for the turnover issue. Clicks!" he wrote.

U.S. Senate advances war powers resolution. Now what?

Despite Fetterman's vote, the resolution to end the war in Iran advanced on May 19 but has yet to become a law, USA TODAY previously reported.

The resolution now goes to the Republican-controlled House, and even if approved, it's likely that Trump will veto it, according to CBS News.

The measure directs Trump to "remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force."

Democrats have argued that Trump is passed the 60-day deadline allowing a president to engage in military hostilities abroad without authorization from Congress, but the Trump Administration has pushed back against that assertion. Trump argued on May 1 in a letter to lawmakers that hostilities against Iran had been "terminated" and that a formal declaration of war from Congress wasn't necessary.

How did U.S. senators vote on war powers resolution?

All Democrats except for Fetterman voted in favor of the war powers resolution, USA TODAY previously reported. They were joined by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-LA; Lisa Murkowski, R-AK; Susan Collins, R-ME; and Rand Paul, R-KY.

Sens. Thom Tillis, R-NC; John Cornyn, R-TX; and Tommy Tuberville, R-AL didn't cast a vote either way on the measure.

Why did Fetterman vote against war powers resolution?

In 2023, Fetterman took a hardline stance compared to other Democrats in supporting Israel and its military action in Gaza, according to The Hill. And as Trump's attacks in Iran have continued, the chasm between him and other members of the party has continued to widen.

Fetterman has consistently voted against Democratic-led measures to curtail the president's military actions, going so far as to say that Trump's attacks were warranted to stop the development of a nuclear weapon and to destroy the country's theocratic regime, according to Philadelphia Inquirer reporting.

In a May 7 column in the Washington Post, Fetterman emphasized that the "leading state sponsor of terror should be held accountable."

"In the wake of the war in Gaza, Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah have ramped up their attempts to dismantle our ally," he said. "I remained committed to fully backing the elimination of these terrorists and their leaders."

What other issues has Fetterman broken from Democrats on?

While Fetterman is still an idealogical Democrat, according to GovTrack's Ideology-Leadership Chart — which shows several Democratic senators who are ideologically closer to the Republican Party — he has repeatedly broken with Democrats on multiple issues.

He's voted in favor of Trump's cabinet picks, publicly criticized Democrats and often appeared on Fox News. Now, some speculate that he may switch parties — including Pennsylvania's GOP Chair Senator Greg Rothman, who said in April that he's watching to see if Fetterman will jump ship, according to The Patriot-News.

In addition to his support of Israel and Trump's attacks on Iran, the following actions in recent months from Fetterman have caused questions about whether or not he'll stick with Democrats:

Voted in March 2026 to confirm Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, breaking with the majority of the Democrats in the upper chamber

Voted with Republicans to end the government shutdown in fall 2025

Voted with Republicans to approve an annual Department of Homeland Security bill without added restrictions on federal immigration enforcement

How does Fetterman score with Pennsylvania Democrats?

Less than four years ago, Democrats elected Fetterman. Now, Republicans favor him.

A February 2026 Quinnipiac University poll showed that 46% of Pennsylvania voters approve of Fetterman's performance, with 40% disapproving, according to a report from Punchbowl News. Among Republicans, Fetterman is up 74%–18%, while among Democrats, he's down 62%–22%.

Fetterman has said this popularity with Republicans is confusing, something he discussed in March with Chris Cuomo on News Nation.

“I, [in] some strange way, I am more popular with Republicans, which is, it’s confusing because I vote, I vote in the 90s (percentage-wise) Dem line, and I didn’t, and I haven’t [voted] for the big ticket Trump ones like ‘big, beautiful bill’ or SAVE Act, and for those things," Fetterman told Cuomo, as reported by The Hill.

"So, I mean, there’s a lot of misinformation, I guess, but I am guilty of being a very proud supporter of Israel, and then I do support [Operation] Epic Fury," he added.

On Election Night in 2022, Fetterman won Allegheny County with 63.4% of the vote, or 363,873 votes, while Republican challenger Dr. Mehmet Oz received 34.9%, or 200,672 from voters, according to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania election results.

The votes from the Pittsburgh area and Allegheny County made up more than 13.2% of Fetterman's 2,751,012 total votes in 2022.

Fetterman is not up for re-election until 2028.