The first-term Pennsylvania Democrat said his openness about his mental health issues has been “weaponized” against him, prompting him to start showing up for votes and hearings he considers useless.

He acknowledged missing Senate duties over the past year, including procedural votes, and said he does not find aspects of his job to be meaningful.

Pennsylvania's senior senator told the New York Times in a story that published Saturday that he felt he had been unfairly shamed into fulfilling his senatorial duties.