Why Did the U.S Government shutdown? The two U.S parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, are in a dispute about how the country should be funded in the future. No decision was made so any government funded businesses had no money to run Some 700,000 workers are having to go un paid and not working due to the shutdown

What Happens now ? Essential workers like air-traffic controllers and border guards will still work, but museums, National Parks and top tourist attractions like the Statue of Liberty will close, and many government workers will stay at home. The defence department said uniformed members of the military will continue on normal duty, but that large numbers of civilian workers will be told to stay home. On Monday evening, President Obama made sure that military personnel would be paid, despite the shutdown. The government will meet again on Tuesday to try and reach an agreement.

Potential dispute point: President Obama and the Democrats want to introduce a new healthcare system into the United States, which they believe will make healthcare more affordable for most Americans. It's called the Affordable Care Act - nicknamed 'Obamacare' - and was made law in 2010, though much of it hasn't come into force yet. For the law to work, all Americans have to take out health insurance - in the past it's been optional.

What happens next? The government last shut down in 1995 and it was down for 3 weeks. This shutdown could last any where from a couple of days, or to a couple of weeks. They need to compromise soon or they could have serious economic problems.

We disagree with the shutdown because a lot of people (around 700,000) have not been paid for their jobs that they have done. We think Obama has done the wrong thing because he is being a bit childish about the whole situation. I think they should get all the governement run businesses back open then make a decision privately and announce it as soon as possible.