Watch CBS News

President Barack Obama's Remarks On End Of Federal Government Shutdown

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Good evening everyone.

Tonight, Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together around an agreement that will reopen our government and remove the threat of default from our economy.

The Senate has now voted to approve this agreement, and Democrats and Republicans in the House still have an important vote to take.

But I want to thank the leaders of both parties for getting us to this point. Once this agreement arrives on my desk, I will sign it immediately. We will begin reopening our government immediately. And we can begin to remove this cloud of uncertainty and unease from our businesses and from the American people.

I'll have more to say about this tomorrow, and I've got some thoughts on how we can move forward in the remainder of the year, and stay focused on the job at hand.

Because there's a lot of work ahead of us, including our need to earn back the trust of the American people that's been lost over the past few weeks. And we can begin to do that by addressing the real issues that they care about.

I've said it before, I'll say it again—I'll work with anybody. I'm eager to work with anybody— Democrat or Republican, House or Senate members—on any idea that will grow our economy, create new jobs, strengthen the middle class and get our fiscal house in order for the long term.

I've never believed that Democrats have a monopoly on good ideas. And despite the differences over the issues of shutting down our government, I'm convinced that Democrats and Republicans can work together to make progress for America.

In fact, there are things that we know will help strengthen our economy that we could get done before this year is out.

We still need to pass a law to fix our broken immigration system. We still need to pass a farm bill. And with the shutdown behind us and budget committees forming, we now have an opportunity to focus on a sensible budget that is responsible, that is fair, and that helps hard-working people all across this country.

And we could get all these things done, even this year, if everybody comes together in a spirit of "How are we going to move this country forward?" and put the last three weeks behind us. That's what I believe the American people are looking for. Not a focus on politics, not a focus on elections, but a focus on the concrete steps that can improve their lives.

That's going to be my focus. I'm looking forward to Congress doing the same.

But once again I want to thank the leadership for coming together and getting this done. Hopefully next time it won't be in the eleventh hour. One of the things that I've said throughout this process is we have got to get out of the habit of governing by crisis.

And my hope and expectation is everybody's learned there is no reason we can't work on the issues at hand, why we can't disagree between the parties while still being agreeable, and making sure we're not inflicting harm on the American people when we do have disagreements.

Hopefully that's a lesson that will be internalized, not just by me, but also by Democrats and Republicans, not only the leaders, but also the rank and file.

(REPORTER: Mr. President, do you think this is going to happen all over again in a few months?)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: No.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.