Senators John Fetterman and Dave McCormick: Bipartisanship, Money in DC, Datacenters, Graham Platner

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
Now, a look at the state of Pennsylvania.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:01)
It's one of the most important states in this presidential race. Both the Pennsylvania senators, Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dave McCormick voted in favor of the bill.

**John Fetterman** (0:13)
In this situation, we both agree that shutting our government down is wrong for our commonwealth and for our nation.

**Dave McCormick** (0:20)
So we're looking for ways to find common ground. And when we disagree, we disagree. But when we can agree, we agree.

**John Fetterman** (0:27)
Our votes are about country over party at this point.

**Dave McCormick** (0:30)
Well, we're trying to set a good example because we have lots of disagreements, but we trust each other, we like one another, and we look for ways to work together.

**SPEAKER_1** (0:40)
I thought the best way to kick this off was to actually give both of you a few moments to just say what's on your mind. And so I think in the rules of parliamentary decorum, Senator Fetterman, as a senior sitting senator from Pennsylvania, maybe you can start.

**John Fetterman** (0:54)
I'm proud to call Senator McCormick a good friend.
And now things are very more polarized. And now I refuse to engage in the kinds of extremism. And we're going to fight together for Pennsylvania and for our nation right now. And we're going to continue to have conversations like this, whether in Pennsylvania or here across. So we have to find a better way forward through a lot of the circumstances.

**Dave McCormick** (1:33)
Yeah, I think, I mean, one of the benefits of being in a place like Pennsylvania is that the voters expect us really to find ways to work together. And if you put this moment in perspective, I think it's probably the most consequential moment in all of our lifetimes.
And in fact, I think it might be the most consequential moment in humankind, which is a big statement. So much change is happening. It's artificial intelligence, of course, but it's really how that's affecting everything. Life sciences, defense, energy. It's a moment of enormous change. And that change creates a lot of anxiety that lends itself to polarization and extremes. And so if there was ever a time where it's more important to find ways to work together, it's now. And so we've found ways to work together on everything from energy policy to fentanyl, the fentanyl crisis, to anti-Semitism in Pennsylvania and across the country, to drone technology.
And these are issues that are of such consequence that you can't get there by just being with your team. You have to be able to find common ground. And we've really looked for ways to do that.

**John Fetterman** (2:47)
Yeah, I think he could confirm. Pennsylvania keeps you honest now. And now I'd like to remind everybody that we are the only two people in our respective cycles that flip seats.
You know, that's really, you know, both parties want that. They, we want to flip seats. It's like, well, you know, we've done that because I think we've rejected the extreme kinds of views. And now it's better to work together for Pennsylvania or for our country for right now. And AI is really, really important.
And that will sometimes will put me at odds where the direction that the Democratic Party seems to be moving in that now. So now, moratorium for data centers, for me, that's a China first kinds of policy for that. I'm going to continue to push back that. I'm not going to describe that as a scourge. I'm going to describe that as an incredible new opportunity. And now, you know, my friend, he, he organized an incredible symposium in Western Pennsylvania that brought AI together and energy. And that's two parts of things Pennsylvania really brings to that table in this very, very important conversation.

**SPEAKER_1** (3:58)
I think that we're at this point now where, is it fair to say as goes Pennsylvania, as goes the rest of the country in the sense that if, if you can find common ground in the state on these very thorny issues, maybe the rest of the country can find ground and the vice versa is also true. If you guys can't find resolution, what are the odds at California and West Virginia making it up, find resolution? So, what is it like a day in the life in the US Senate trying to find these compromises? Because from our perspective outside in, a lot of the time it just seems like nothing is happening.
Dave.

**Dave McCormick** (4:34)
Yeah. I think if you step back, I know we look very similar, but we have many similar backgrounds.