A sign for informing that Lincoln Memorial is closed due to the government shutdown is seen in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, on Oct. 1, 2013. The U.S. government has begun a partial shutdown after the Republican-led House of Representatives refused to approve a budget for next year. (Xinhua/Lv Mingxiang)

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Road to U.S. federal government shutdown

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (Xinhua)-- The wrangle between the Republican-led House of Representatives and the Democratic- controlled Senate over a bill to fund the U.S. federal government failed to produce a deal before midnight Monday, when the country' s 2013 fiscal year expired, thrusting the American government into the first partial shutdown in 17 years.

In days leading up to the deadline, the House GOP leaders have attempted to defund or derail the implementation of Obamacare in the funding bill for the federal government, but the Senate has rejected all the changes in the House versions of the bill, insisting on a "clean" resolution.  Full story