Government Shuts Down After Lawmakers Fail to Agree on Funding Bill: ABC Breaking News On September 30, 2013.
Government Shuts Down After Lawmakers Fail to Agree on Funding Bill After an all-day game of legislative ping pong that stretched into the early morning hours of Tuesday, Democrats and Republicans failed to reach an agreement on how to keep the government funded, forcing the country into its first government shutdown in nearly two decades. "This is a very sad day for our country," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said shortly after the government shutdown Tuesday morning. "This is an unnecessary blow to America." Congress engaged in a game of political hot potato over the past few days as House Republicans have tried to tie the defunding or delay of Obamacare to the government funding bill, and Senate Democrats have insisted they will only accept a clean continuing resolution. "The House has voted to keep the government open but we also want basic fairness for all Americans under Obamacare," House Speaker John Boehner said in a