Republicans Criticize Trump Over Shutdown: ‘This Caused Real Harm’

President Donald Trump’s decision to shut the government down is turning out to be incredibly unpopular.

As detailed by a previous Inquisitr report, the shutdown, which was caused by Trump’s insistence on border wall funds, was the longest and most expensive in United States history. As his critics opined, it also turned out to be pointless. After vowing to not cave, Donald Trump caved, reopening the government without receiving money for his border wall.

The administration has threatened to declare a national emergency unless a compromise is reached over the next three weeks. The failure to reach a compromise has not only angered the press, hundreds of thousands of federal workers, dozens of right-wing media personalities, and the Democratic Party, it is also prompting some Republicans to openly criticize the president.

Susan Collins, Rob Portman, and Lindsey Graham talked to CNN, calling Trump out and analyzing the situation and its political repercussions.

“I don’t believe that shutdowns are ever justified — and I wish this never happened,” Collins said. “This caused real harm to federal employees… and to our economy at large.”

“I don’t like shutdowns at all. I don’t think they are ever worth it. But I’m glad we are where are,” Portman opined, adding that he hopes a deal is reached between the president and the Democratic Party.

South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, perceived as a close ally of President Trump, had a lot to say about the shutdown as well. Graham briefly criticized Trump but quickly pivoted to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and “everyone” else involved, claiming that the situation should have been handled better.

“I think there’s room to criticize the President, me, Nancy Pelosi, all of us,” he said.

"I wish this never happened": Republicans lament President Trump's handling of the shutdown https://t.co/Ln7trw6Z0l pic.twitter.com/12IB3gfxKY

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 27, 2019

According to Lindsey Graham, the government shutdown was a political vehicle President Donald Trump had used to try and increase border security, but “it didn’t work.”

“To those who want to talk about caving, who won or who lost: the question for me is how does this end?” Graham asked.

Graham’s seemingly conciliatory statements came as a major surprise to many. During the shutdown, the senator’s remarks were usually dire, perhaps even dramatic on a few occasions.

As reported by Slate, Graham insisted during the shutdown that failure to get funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border would “mark the end” of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Graham not only predicted that caving would spell the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, as the senator also insisted that giving in and walking away without funds for the wall could hurt the Republican Party as a whole. Giving in, Graham insisted, would be “the end of us if we give in on this issue as Republicans.”