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The United States was closed for business for three days last weekend until Republicans and Democrats agreed to pass a short-term spending bill. The bill ended the closure that would have seen over 708,000 government workers furloughed, including suspended pay for the military. With Democrats backing off the issue of how 'Dreamers' - young immigrants who were illegally brought into the United States - will be dealt with, the government went back to work this week.

"The American people rejected this shut down, knowing full well extremism is no way to run a country," says Congressman Tom Reed. "Children health care, our military and countless other services Americans depend on cannot simply be shut down so extremists can make a point."

Reed (NY) and Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ) co-chair of the 48-member bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. The group has been working on a plan to rebuild American infrastructure, among other issues.

A group of Senators that included 13 Democrats, 9 Republicans and 1 Independent was credited with breaking the impasse. The group met in Senator Susan Collins' (ME) office to craft a bipartisan solution to the shutdown.

An important part of the deal was that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) will bring the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) legislation to a vote.

Reed says the Problem Solvers Caucus idea 'bled over' into the Senate, in part making it possible to reopen the government. He pledged to continue to find solutions a majority of Congress can agree to.

"My colleagues and I in the Problem Solvers Caucus will continue to lead bipartisanship efforts in the House to work out a long term funding solution and fix to failing immigration and border security policies. The House and Senate can only find real solutions to America's critical issues within a culture of trust and good faith negotiations."

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