By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center SquareCongress had the chance late Wednesday morning to reopen the U.S. government before any federal furloughs took effect. “This could have been avoided,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Wednesday. And once we do that, then we can talk about the issues that Democrats are raising,” Thune told senators on the floor. The longer a government shutdown drags, the more Americans will feel the effects of shuttered federal services. The Trump administration is also planning to eliminate some federal positions vacated during a shutdown that are not aligned with its goals, as consistent with applicable law.