Sen. Carla Nelson issued the following statement regarding the federal government shutdown:

“The Federal Government shutdown is hurting Minnesotans, putting Minnesota families, especially low-income families, at significant risk, and adding unnecessary difficulty to people’s lives. The fact is, the U.S. House already passed a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the Federal Government open. The U.S. Senate could pass that CR today, and the government would reopen.

“However, doing so requires bipartisanship! There are individuals spreading incorrect information that because Republicans control the House and the Senate, they are the ones responsible. That is simply not true: It takes 60 votes to break a filibuster and reopen the government. There are only 53 Republicans, so a few Democrats need to put the country first and help get the government open again.

“As of Friday, U.S. Senate Republicans have voted 12 times to reopen the government so they can continue discussions on important and urgent issues, like healthcare costs. I am so disappointed that Minnesota’s two U.S. Senators have refused to reopen the government every single time.”