For now, the government shutdown is over. But for the everyday government worker, the shutdown left a scorching path in its wake, leaving more than 800,000 federal workers without pay for 35 days.

A report released on Feb. 4 by the nonpartisan CongressionalBudget Office found that the economy took an $11 billion hit, including $3 billion that’s gone forever.

After all this, President Donald Trump essentially held government workers hostage for a month and walked away with nothing accomplished.

For a president who built hiscampaign on the notion of being an expert negotiator and some- one who keeps his promises,this shutdown was an absolutedisaster from all angles.

Here we are, our own govern- ment employees suffering, yetno one is closer to addressingillegal immigration.

The shutdown itself was ini- tiated on the refusal by House Democrats to compromise on a funding plan for Trump’s infa- mous wall along the Mexicanborder.

Despite the questionableeffectiveness of a wall in curb- ing illegal immigration, even if Trump got his funding he would be going back on a campaign promise because he falsely claimed that Mexico would be paying for it.

But it seems that no matter what Trump says, the American taxpayer will invariably befooting the bill.

During the shutdown many federal workers got close to losing their homes and were forced to rely on the kindness of others just to keep themselvesabove water.

While keeping campaign promises is important, Trump must also remember the oathhe swore at his inauguration.

Before every citizen he swore to preserve, protect and defendthe Constitution. Nowhere in the Constitution does it statea president may hold his own employees hostage over hispersonal political agenda.

Trump’s new promise, that to keep the government shut- down until the wall is built, should come with an additional promise.

If Trump is to shutdown the government again on Friday, he should admit that it will be the federal workers–those who keep our government running–suffering for it.