Regions

US President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans did not come any closer to ending a standoff regarding the nation's budget issue on Tuesday. This led to the first government shutdown in 17 years. The shutdown affected hundreds of thousands of federal employees on furlough.

Republicans in the House of Representatives had moved to restore funding to national parks, veterans care and the District of Columbia, whose mayor had fought for its autonomy by declaring that every employee of the District had their right to be paid accordingly. The District's establishments would remain business as usual despite the US shutdown. Meanwhile, police had already cordoned off landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial, said a Reuters report. The report further state that the government agencies had also halted cancer treatments and trade negotiations.

The effort to halt the shutdown fell short on Tuesday evening while Republicans planned to retry passing three bills on Wednesday. However, Republicans were likely to be defeated by the Democrat-controlled Senate, according to a Reuters report.