With just 11 hours left to agree on the federal budget, Democrat and Republican lawmakers continue to negotiate in Washington in an attempt to reach a resolution by midnight on tonight. If no agreement is reached, there is a very real possibility that the federal government could shutdown, leaving Americans around the country worried about how it could impact them. After meeting twice with President Obama and Vice President Biden on Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) announced that they were still at an impasse. The two sides are divided on the level of spending cuts to be made and where the cuts will come from. Some Republicans, for example, are balking over the idea of supporting a bill that would include spending for Planned Parenthood. Democrats object to deep cuts in such areas as education, which they say would impede the nation’s growth.
Meanwhile, the House passed a bill Thursday to keep the federal government operating for another week and fund the Pentagon through September 30. It also cuts current spending levels by $12 billion. Both the president and Reid say they oppose any bill that’s not “clean,†meaning that any short-term measure must extend current funding and not include any policy riders.
But we know that you’re wondering how this could affect you. Here’s a sampling of the impact that a government shutdown would have on everyday life.
