The US president promises to try to overcome the impasse as
America struggles with the first federal shutdown in almost 20 years
A sign announces the closure of the Statue of Liberty.
The National Mall and all monuments and large sections of the government are
closing after politicians failed to reach a deal on government spending.
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington is sealed off from visitors.
It is the first time the government has shut down in 17 years, potentially
putting up to one million workers on unpaid leave, closing national parks and
stalling medical research projects.
Rachel Young, a member of the Family, Career and Community Leadership of
America group, in front of the US Capitol in Washington.
National Parks police arrive with tape to seal off the Lincoln Memorial.
Click through for more images.
President Barack Obama has urged Republicans in Congress to
reopen the government, saying "one faction of one party" does not get to "hold
the economy hostage over an ideological crusade".
Speaking from the White House Rose Garden more than 12 hours into a
government shutdown, Mr Obama said the longer an impasse continues, the worse
the impact will be.
America woke up to the shutdown after a deeply polarised Congress failed to
agree a new budget in a dispute over Mr Obama's signature healthcare
law. Mr Obama blames the shutdown on the
Republicans
The president said shutting down the government will not accomplish some
Republicans' stated goal of "rolling back efforts to provide health insurance
for those who don't have it".
Earlier Tuesday, Mr Obama sent federal workers a letter lamenting that they
had become "punching bags" in Washington's partisan fiscal fights.
"This shutdown was completely preventable. It should not have happened," Mr
Obama said in the letter.
As the
shutdown entered into force, "closed" signs and barricades sprang
up at the Lincoln Memorial, museums and federal workplaces across the
country.
Some of America's most famous tourist attractions, such as the Statue of
Liberty and Ellis Island in New York, and Alcatraz Island near San Francisco
were closed to the public.
Almost all of Nasa shut down, except for Mission Control in Houston. Even the
National Zoo's popular panda cam went dark, shut off for the first time since a
cub was born there in late August. The shutdown affects national parks such as
Yellowstone
Up to 800,000 government employees are furloughed, and more than a million
others could be asked to work without pay.
Meanwhile, workers classified as essential government employees, such as air
traffic controllers or Border Patrol agents, continue to work.
Republicans in the House said on Tuesday they would push for a series of
small funding bills aimed at reopening portions of the government, including
national parks.
The White House rejected the plan, saying it showed an "utter lack of
seriousness" on funding the federal government.
The government's return to full operation will depend on how long it takes
politicians to bridge their differences - and there was no immediate sign of
compromise on Capitol Hill.
For now, Democrats and Republicans keep blaming each other.
The Republicans had insisted on delaying the healthcare reform - dubbed
Obamacare - as a condition for passing a bill.
But this approach was rejected by allies of the president in a series of
back-and-forth moves between the Republican-controlled House and the
Democrat-dominated Senate. House Speaker John Boehner said Mr Obama
refused to negotiate
The Democrats accused the Republicans of succumbing to the Tea Party
hard-line conservatives and seeking to gain political advantage at the expense
of citizens.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said: "The government is closed because of
the irrationality of what's going on on the other side of the Capitol."
House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, said he did not want a government
shutdown, but added the healthcare law "is having a devastating impact. ...
Something has to be done."
Meanwhile, Obamacare itself was unaffected and enrolment opened for millions
of people shopping for medical insurance.
Online insurance marketplaces at the heart of the healthcare overhaul
struggled to handle the volume of consumers on Tuesday, resulting in some
glitches.
The shutdown, meanwhile, is likely to further alienate citizens already
largely disillusioned by their ruling class and for the most part disappointed
with the president’s performance, according to the latest polls.
The political dysfunction on Capitol Hill also raised fresh concerns about
whether Congress can meet a crucial mid-October deadline to raise the
government's $16.7trn debt ceiling.
This would force the country to default on its obligations, dealing a
potentially painful blow to the economy and sending shockwaves around global
markets.
The House of Liberty can be seen only from a
distance
A sign announces the closure of the Statue of Liberty.
The National Mall and all monuments and large sections of the government are closing after politicians failed to reach a deal on government spending.
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington is sealed off from visitors.
It is the first time the government has shut down in 17 years, potentially putting up to one million workers on unpaid leave, closing national parks and stalling medical research projects.
Rachel Young, a member of the Family, Career and Community Leadership of America group, in front of the US Capitol in Washington.
National Parks police arrive with tape to seal off the Lincoln Memorial. Click through for more images.
