There is NO plan for John Fetterman to step down, Pennsylvania governor says

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Monday that he doesn't expect Sen. John Fetterman to step down and there is 'no contingency plan' in place to pick a replacement. 

Fetterman checked into Walter Reed Army Medical Center on February 16 for impatient treatment for 'severe' depression after being hospitalized for light headedness after the State of the Union and suffering a stroke in May. 

The Democratic senator's office said Monday that he 'remains on a path to recovery,' but didn't disclose any additional details. 

He's stayed off social media since checking into the Bethesda-based hospital, while his wife Gisele posted last week that she briefly took their kids to Canada as they figured out how to 'navigate this journey.'   

Shapiro, also a Democrat, would be responsible for picking Fetterman's interim replacement should he decide to give up his seat, with a special election to fill the rest of his six-year term taking place on Election Day in November 2024. 

There is no plan for Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania (left) to step down, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (right) said in an interview Monday. Fetterman has been at Walter Reed for nearly two weeks after checking into the Bethesda hospital to be treated for depression 

In an interview with NBC News Monday, Shapiro said he expects the 53-year-old Fetterman to 'serve for a good long while,' adding that he didn't feel that Democrats were pressuring Fetterman to quit, nor were they forcing him to stay in his seat.

Pennsylvania's other Democratic Sen. Bob Casey is up for reelection in November 2024, and so Democrats would have to defend two seats in a highly competitive swing state should Fetterman bow out.  

When asked if there is a contingency plan in place in case Fetterman decides he wants to step down, Shapiro told the network: 'There is no contingency plan and it is 100 percent Sen. Fetterman's decision as to what he will do in the future.' 

Principal deputy White House press secretary Olivia Dalton was asked Tuesday if the president was worried that Fetterman's potentially weeks long absence could complicate the confirmation process for his newly announced pick for labor secretary, Julie Su. 

Dalton said she didn't have 'anything additional to read out' and, again, expressed that the president and first lady were 'thinking about John, Gisele and the entire family at this moment.' 

'Millions of Americans go untreated with depression every day, Sen. Fetterman did the right and brave thing by getting the help that he needs,' she added. 'And we're grateful to Sen. Fetterman for leading by example and taking the time he needs to get healthy.'

Gisele Fetterman (upper left) said she took the couple's kids to Canada in the days following her husband checking into Walter Reed for inpatient therapy to treat severe depression 

Sen. John Fetterman poses with his family and Vice President Kamala Harris during his ceremonial swearing-in on January 3 

Dalton couldn't say whether the president had personally spoken with Fetterman in the nearly two weeks since he's been hospitalized. 

Shapiro told NBC that he's been texting with Gisele. 

'And I hope he's getting the care that he needs. It was a brave thing that he did, asking for help, asking for that care,' Shapiro commented. 

'I think we have a real stigma in this country associated with asking for help when you have mental health struggles and the fact that Sen. Fetterman, who's obviously a very public figure, raised his hand and said I need help, and was able to check himself in to get that help, I think that's very inspiring,' Shapiro also said. 'And I hope that not only he gets the help, but I hope others who are watching are able to maybe reduce some of that stigma associated with getting that care and go get care for themselves.'

In the days following Fetterman checking into Walter Reed, a senior aide told NBC News that he's expected to be sidelined from the Senate for weeks while treatment is progressing. 

It will take time for doctors to get Fetterman's medication right, the network said. 

A senior aide told NBC that it's been difficult to differentiate between the senator's stroke recovery and the depression, with the staffer saying it's sometimes unclear if he's 'not hearing you, or is he sort of crippled by his depression and social anxiety.' 

Sen. John Fetterman (left) and his wife Gisele (right) at the Pennsylvania capitol for the swearing-in of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in January 

Then-Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is pictured on election night after beating the Trump-backed Republican, Dr. Mehmet Oz, in what was likely the nation's most-watched Senate race

Sen. John Fetterman is captured riding on the Senate subway between the Capitol and Senate office buildings in late January 

CNN reported that Fetterman's symptoms included weight loss and lack of appetite, which led to his spell in the George Washington University Hospital in the days preceding his stay at Walter Reed.  

Fetterman's Chief of Staff Adam Jentleson had said that the senator 'experienced depression off and on throughout his life,' but ultimately decided to seek treatment when he was examined by Dr. Brian Monahan, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress. 

The New York Times reported earlier this month that the Democrat has struggled to adjust to life as a senator. 

Fetterman refused an interview with the paper, but aides and allies said the already difficult transition to the Senate was made 'vastly more difficult by the strains of his recovery,' noting that it left him with 'a physical impairment and serious mental health challenges.' 

He still suffers from auditory processing issues, which means he has to use devices that provide him with closed captioning to engage with his Senate colleagues and constituents and participate in committee hearings. 

When people talk to Fetterman, he hears something akin to how the adults in the Peanuts' cartoons sound: squawking provided by a muted trombone, The Times reported. 

Besides the hearing issue - which is exacerbated when Fetterman is feeling stressed - the Times reported that the stroke recovery had put a 'very real psychological toll' on the politician. 

Up to a third of stroke sufferers develop depression symptoms, according to the Stroke Association. 

Fetterman's political brand was somewhat tied to his unconventional tough guy looks - standing at 6-foot-8, with tattooed arms, a shaved head and a goatee - the former Braddock, Pennsylvania mayor looked like he came straight from a Pittsburgh steel mill. 

However, as The Times put it, the stroke turned him into a 'physically altered version of himself' and the senator has been 'frustrated' he hasn't yet fully recovered. 

Additionally, Fetterman was reportedly concerned that may have permanently set himself back, as he didn't take off enough time during the campaign to rest.  

'What you're supposed to do to recover from this is do as little as possible,' Jentleson had told the paper. Instead, Fetterman 'was forced to do as much as possible - he had to get back to the campaign trail. It's hard to claw that back.' 

Allies of his Republican Senate rival, Dr. Mehmet Oz, were questioning his mental capacity as Fetterman stayed sidelined and out of public view for most of the summer. 

'If John Fetterman were elected to the Senate and he's not able to communicate effectively, if he's not able to engage with the press, if he's not able to engage with his colleagues, he would not be able to do the job,' said Pennsylvania's retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in September. 

'It's just not possible to be an effective senator if you cannot communicate. It's just the essence of the job,' Toomey added, pressing Fetterman to debate Oz . 

Fetterman did debate Oz in late October, with his rocky performance leaving even Democrats rattled.  

Fetterman's speech was jumbled and he had to use closed captioning technology to understand the moderators and Oz's responses.  

Still, Fetterman beat the Trump-backed Oz by five percentage points, giving Democrats an extra Senate seat in what was likely the most-watched 2022 Senate race.