John Thune: “after 43 days, the longest government shutdown in history is over. Shellshocked government employees are getting paid…”

“after 43 days, the longest government shutdown in history is over. Shellshocked government employees are getting paid again. The air travel situation is improving. Nutrition programs are back on a secure footing. But the damage remains. How many of those government employees now getting paid again are staring at credit card debt taken on to cover necessities during the month and a half they worked without pay? The newly restored salaries don't contain extra to cover the interest on that debt. How many small businesses are struggling, thanks to the hit that their business took during the shutdown? How long is it going to take to catch up on the 43-day backlog in government services the shutdown created? The pain the shutdown caused was immense, and all of it--all of it-- could have been so easily avoided. Republicans offered Democrats a clean, nonpartisan funding extension. We did not make a single demand. We didn't ask for a single partisan policy. We didn't add a single partisan policy rider. We simply asked Democrats to extend current funding levels for a few weeks so that we could continue bipartisan work on appropriations. Instead, Democrats chose to plunge the country into chaos because the far left of their party demanded a showdown with President Trump. That is right. All of this pain, all of this profound financial stress, all of this economic damage is because the far left demanded a showdown with President Trump. And Democrats fell in line.”