President Donald Trump announced the end to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history on Friday, and Senate Republicans don’t seem to think the 35-day pause in funding was worth all the trouble for where negotiations ended up.
“You need to ask the President about that,” Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) told IJR when asked if the longest shutdown in history was worth it. “I’m opposed to shutdowns, I’ve always been opposed to shutdowns. We should never have shutdowns.”
After over a month of political back-and-forth that saw government workers miss paychecks, military and law enforcement work unpaid, and the FAA grounding planes, Trump announced Friday that he had agreed to a deal to re-open the government for three weeks while negotiations continue over how to secure the nation’s southern border.
“I don’t believe that shutdowns are ever justified.”
The deal essentially brings the immigration debate back to where it was before the country was rocked by the month-long shutdown, and even members of the president’s own party are hinting that shutting the government down over border funding may not have been worthwhile.
“No. No shutdown is worth it,” Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) told IJR shortly after the president announced Friday’s deal. “When you have a shutdown that means that the functioning parts of the federal government did not work.” – READ MORE