Last October 1, Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress had been waging a battle on the budget that threatens a government shutdown, unless lawmakers arrived on a compromise regarding a federal spending measure.

The last shutdown was during the budget battle between the former US President Bill Clinton and the Republican controlled Congress in late 1995. The Federal Government was closed for five days in November 1995. It was also much closed from mid-December 1995 to early January 1996.

In 2011, many US agencies had also made preparations ahead of a threatened shutdown. Last Tuesday, the Office of Management and Budget stated that agencies should update their contingency plans if ever a shutdown would occur, said a Reuters report.

The public could expect employees in all three branches of government to have a temporary unpaid leave if the government went into a partial shutdown. However, each agency would make its own final decisions regarding unpaid leave and furlough, said a Congressional Research Service report.

Healthcare employees should be the least affected although they might still be confronted with "no pay" status. Meanwhile, Medicare and Social Security benefits had not been made clear. Delays could occur in processing new claims, said congressional researchers. Military veterans could also see delays in processing benefits. According to the research service, delays could also be expected in service affecting health, income, travel and more.