WASHINGTON, January 22—United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement after the Senate voted to end the Democrat-led federal government shutdown:

“Shutting down the government of the United States of America should never ever be a bargaining chip for any issue. Period. It should be to governing as chemical warfare is to real warfare. It should be banned. I’m glad we’re back to work on reaching an agreement on a two-year budget deal, on needed military spending, on lowering the cost of health insurance for people buying insurance in the individual market, on the DACA bill, and on disaster relief.”