(Washington, DC) “I welcome the president’s decision to reopen the government today, and am grateful that this crisis is over, hopefully for good.”

“As I’ve said from the beginning, once the government is open, I would be eager to see a serious discussion about border security and immigration policy.  We should be aiming for a solution based on two fundamental principles:  America secures it’s borders; and America is a generous country of immigrants.  Such a solution has long been attainable if all sides are willing to negotiate in good faith and to make reasonable compromises, without taking hostages.”

“I also continue to believe that this shutdown should never have happened.  We could have had a compromise on border security and immigration without making 800,000 hard working public servants suffer.  No matter who is president, no matter what the dispute, It is never acceptable to shut down the government to force your will on others.  I hope Congress will pass legislation to make it harder to use this unacceptable tactic ever again. Let this be the shutdown to end all shutdowns.”