(Vatican Radio) The United States government officially shut down this morning, after
Democrats and Republicans failed to strike a deal on a government spending bill before
a midnight deadline. The shutdown went into effect at 12:01 Eastern Time; it is
the first US government shutdown in 17 years. Now, 700,000 federal government workers
will be on leave without pay. It is not clear how long the government shutdown
will last.
“Congress had not fulfilled its responsibility,” commented President
Barack Obama in a video released on Tuesday. “It has failed to pass a budget and,
as a result, much of our government must now shut down until Congress funds it again.”
The shutdown does not affect active military. Troops in uniform in Afghanistan
and elsewhere will stay on duty. However, thousands of civilians who work for the
Defense Department face furloughs.
Border patrols, air traffic controllers
and Social Security benefits will also continue. Hundreds of thousands of other government
workers will be off the job as of Tuesday, after a short work period to wind down
operations.