Amy Klobuchar: “I appreciate the sentiment of the Senator from Georgia, and I remember earlier last year when we were both part of…”

“I appreciate the sentiment of the Senator from Georgia, and I remember earlier last year when we were both part of discussions to try to resolve an earlier shutdown issue and an earlier issue related to immigration reform. We put together a bipartisan bill involving the Dreamers, and we got some broad support on our side. Unfortunately, the White House, in the end, was not supportive of that agreement, even though the Senator from Georgia had worked so hard. I think we can't rule out, as much as we have tried and will continue to try, to come up with bipartisan solutions like the majority and the minority leader did in December that we all supported and would have prevented this shutdown. We can't take out the element of the fact that a number of times we have been gut-punched, basically, when we have tried to do that. That doesn't mean that the discussion shouldn't continue, and I appreciate his good work on that. I want to discuss one Minnesotan, Kathleen DeMaster, who has been affected by this and her family. She works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Minneapolis. She is currently furloughed. This is Kathleen and her daughter. She says: My situation is becoming desperate. . . . I accepted my position with the federal government only a few months ago because it is a fantastic way for me to better myself and my career. I am passionate about public service and have enjoyed my job very much since I started.…”