President Trump Announces End To Government Shutdown For Three Weeks

Trump's action would end what has become a record, 35-day partial shutdown.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he’ll sign legislation shortly to reopen shuttered government departments for three weeks until Feb. 15.

Trump’s action would end what has become a record, 35-day partial shutdown.

Some 800,000 federal workers have had to work without pay or have been kept from doing their jobs as Trump and congressional Democrats were locked in a stalemate over the billions of dollars that Trump has demanded to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Trump spoke at the White House on Friday as intensifying delays at some of the nation’s busiest airports and widespread disruptions brought new urgency to efforts to break the impasse.

Area lawmakers are sending in their reactions to the President’s comments.

“I will support this deal. While Speaker Pelosi refused to even come to the table and negotiate, President Trump was the adult in the room who ended this impasse. The President is right: Congress needs to step up and tackle immigration reform, but this shutdown has demonstrated larger problems in the way our government is run. Congress should consider including broad budgetary and personnel reforms in any future deals,” Republican North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer said.

“The deal the President announced today will fund the remaining 25 percent of government for the next three weeks. That will ensure that the government is fully open and operating for our citizens and that federal workers receive their pay. At the same time, we need to continue to work to get funding for border security. Democrats have indicated that they are willing to work with us, and now they need to follow through so we can enact a plan that includes funding for people, technology and a barrier in order to ensure proper border security. In addition, we should also pass the remaining appropriations bills, which have gone through the Appropriations Committee on a bipartisan basis, in order to fund the government through the full fiscal year,” Republican North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said.

“Today, this senseless shutdown will finally come to an end—that’s a good thing. For the last five weeks, hundreds of thousands of workers went without pay, and everything from air safety to medical advancements were undermined. But this shutdown never should have happened in the first place—we’re in the exact same place we were five weeks ago, but our workers, our economy, and our country have seriously suffered. The President needs to stop playing games, end the threats, and allow the country to get back to work,” Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said.

“From the beginning, the government shutdown was a waste focused on a political symbol instead of real solutions. Finally, President Trump is realizing the increasingly harmful toll the shutdown is taking on our country. I’m glad a deal has been reached to reopen the government and focus on meaningful negotiations, but we still need to make sure federal contract employees get back pay—which is an issue I introduced a bill to address. I am going to keep pushing for these Americans—the people who are often invisible securing buildings and keeping them clean, and working in cafeterias—because I’ve made it my job to fight for people who’ve been hurt by the shutdown,” Democratic Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said.

“We are grateful that the pain being caused to American citizens will be relieved. We reiterate our call that this never happen again,” DFL Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said.