Obama writes to government employees, saying shutdown is unfair

U.S. president says federal workers treated like "punching bag"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — President Barack Obama on Tuesday told U.S. government employees that the government shutdown was "completely preventable" and that he would try to get Congress to restart operations as soon as possible.

Obama, in a letter posted on the Energy Department website, praised federal workers for their service, noting "you do all this in a political climate that, too often in recent years, has treated you like a punching bag."

"This shutdown was completely preventable. It should not have happened," Obama said in the letter, pinning the blame from the shutdown on the Republican-led House of Representatives.

Latest stories