On the recordJanuary 25, 2019
Mr. President, I think it is good that we are standing here on the Senate floor and acknowledging the news the President has just announced--that the government will reopen as early as today and that those good, dedicated, and hard-working Federal employees who have either been furloughed or who have been working without pay for 35 days now will be able to get back to work and will be able to receive just compensation for their work. This is important news. This is good news. This is long-awaited news. In fairness, this never should have happened. I concur with my colleague from Maine that there is never a good reason to have a government shutdown in the first place. We have demonstrated that we can do it, but it sure isn't something that should be done. I think the men and women who have been so directly and immediately impacted are not only relieved this afternoon, but they are saying: For heaven's sake, Congress, make sure you don't put us through this again. Count me in that camp of working to make sure we don't put these men and women and their families through this again. I have been holding Skype sessions with the spouses of our active Coast Guard in Alaska. Last evening, I had an opportunity to connect with the spouses from Sitka.…
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