US gov's partial shutdown forces nearly a third of federal workforce - 800,000 employees - off the j
(2 Oct 2013) The US government's partial shutdown closed iconic national parks and monuments in Washington on Wednesday and forced nearly a third of the federal workforce - 800-thousand employees - off the job. People classified as essential employees continued to work, but the number of federal commuters was visibly reduced. With federal services in limbo across the country, lawmakers from both parties suggested the impasse could last for weeks and encompass a potentially more dangerous fight over the country's borrowing limit. Funding for much of the government was cut off after a Republican effort to thwart Obama's healthcare law stalled a short-term, normally routine spending bill. Republicans shifted their strategy to try to reopen the government on a piecemeal basis, but were unable to immediately advance the idea in the House of Representatives. US lawmakers were buffeted by rising anger from across the nation to the partial shutdown that ruined holidays and sapped businesses. Republican lawmakers were in meetings on Wednesday to look for a way out. Meanwhile, another financial showdown even more critical to the economy was looming. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew told Congress that unless lawmakers act in time, he will run out of money to pay the nation's bills by October 17. Congress must periodically raise the limit on government borrowing to keep US funds flowing - a once-routine matter that has become locked in battles over the federal budget deficit. Some 800-thousand federal workers deemed non-essential stayed at home again on Wednesday in the first partial shutdown since the winter of 1995-96. The White House said Obama would have to cut short a long-planned trip to Asia, calling off the final two stops in Malaysia and the Philippines. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
