In the United States, the White House has ordered government agencies to begin shutting down after Congress failed to find a compromise on a government spending bill before the midnight deadline coinciding with 9.30 A.M Indian Standard Time today.
Just minutes before the shutdown was to begin, Democrats rejected a last minute formal request by the House of Representatives to the Senate for negotiations. The Democrats said that the Republicans should instead give final approval to a Senate-approved bill to fund the government through November 15.
President Obama appeared resigned to a shutdown yesterday afternoon as he stepped into the White House press room to reiterate that the shutdown would be the fault of the 'extreme right wing' of the Republican Party, referring to the conservative Tea Party.
Republicans have been insisting on delaying Mr. Obama's healthcare reforms as a condition for passing the budget. They say the program is confusing and not ready. They also say the law hurts the economy by imposing more taxes and by forcing small businesses to provide coverage for their employees.
Mr. Obame repeated that a government closure would seriously harm the recovering US economy. If no budget bill is agreed upon, from today, more than seven hundred thousand workers could be told to stay home on unpaid leave.