The US government has begun a
partial shutdown after the two houses of Congress failed to agree a new budget.
The Republican-led House of Representatives insisted
on delaying President Barack Obama's healthcare reform - dubbed Obamacare - as a
condition for passing a bill.More than 700,000 federal employees face unpaid
leave with no guarantee of back pay once the deadlock is over.It is the first
shutdown in 17 years and the dollar fell early on Tuesday.
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And the House of Representatives can end it as soon as
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On Monday, House Speaker John Boehner told reporters
he hoped the Senate would agree to a committee between the two chambers known
as a conference "so we can resolve this for the American people".
"The House has voted to keep the government open
but we also want basic fairness for all Americans under Obamacare," he
said.
But on Tuesday morning, the Senate voted 54-46 to
reject the request for formal negotiations to end the impasse.
Who is affected?
