US Government Shutdown: Week One

October 05, 2013

Tourists walk by a sign announcing that the Statue of Liberty is closed due to a US government shutdown in New York, October 1, 2013.

From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.

This week, a political dispute in Washington led to a partial shutdown of the United States government for the first time in almost 20 years. Agencies sent home more than 800,000 workers -- about one-third of the federal work force.

The new budget year began Tuesday, October 1. But Republicans in Congress blocked even short-term spending for many government operations. They demanded that Democrats change the Affordable Care Act, the new health care law often called Obamacare. The Democrats refused.

The shutdown did not stop Tuesday’s launch of online marketplaces, called exchanges, at the center of the law. The federal government and states started websites for millions of uninsured Americans to buy health plans or pay a tax penalty.

Opponents of Obamacare say it will force people and small businesses to buy insurance policies against their will.

At the heart of the dispute is a clash between the two major political parties over the role of the central government in American life.

The political fighting between Democrats and Republicans began to intensify during the 1990s. That followed the election of Democrat Bill Clinton as president. Differences over spending and the role of government led to two government shutdowns.