Congress finally came to its senses and acted to end the needless suffering imposed on women, families, communities and the country last night. As this manufactured crisis winds down, we should all remember that many of the families hurt by the shutdown will feel its effects for some time. They deserved better and so did the country.

We are pleased that extremists in Congress were not able to derail implementation of the Affordable Care Act, but the relentless, baseless and time-wasting attacks on this law must end. The law is helping millions of people who have long struggled without adequate, affordable insurance coverage — women who faced discrimination in insurance pricing — people with pre-existing conditions — and many others. The country is better off now that enrollment is moving forward and new health plans are ready to take effect on January 1st.

From family economic security to the strength of our economy, the government shutdown and uncertainty about the country’s ability to pay its bills caused significant harm. House leaders must remember the effects of this crisis and ensure that history does not repeat itself in January. The nation cannot afford another fiasco.