John Thune actually said...

"We can't ignore the both immediate and the longer term impacts of having the government shut down, but we also can't ignore the problems that precipitated the current crisis."

"That is not a responsible way to operate an enterprise like the U.S. Government."

"I think we have to acknowledge that there are--when you come up here and talk about funding deficiencies for specific agencies and programs, there are bills that have come over here that would fund ma..."

"What I really think is a hijacking effort by the Tea Party folks."