How the government shut down is being reported in the US
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.
On ABC's 'Good Morning America' the immediate impact was assessed with an onscreen clock used to show how many hours and minutes the government had been shut down.