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 news conference shortly after 1 a.m.
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