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Tieng Anh Vui
Obama accused Republicans of demanding ransom over Obamacare
US President Barack Obama has vowed not to allow Republicans to undermine his signature healthcare legislation as a condition to restart the US government.
The government has partially shut down after the two houses of Congress failed to agree to a new budget, with Republicans insisting on repeal or delay of Mr Obama's health law.
"They demanded ransom," Mr Obama said.
More than 700,000 federal employees face unpaid leave with no guarantee of back pay once the deadlock is over.
What does shutdown mean for two million federal employees, agencies and tourist destinations?
On Tuesday, Mr Obama blamed conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives for the shutdown, saying "one faction of one party" was responsible because "they didn't like one law".
Mr Obama vowed he would not negotiate on the health law, telling Congress to "pass a budget, end the government shutdown, pay your bills, prevent an economic shutdown".
Republicans, meanwhile, have called for talks with the Democrats.
"Perhaps if President Obama spent less time giving hyper-partisan speeches and more time working with Congress solving problems, we wouldn't find ourselves in this avoidable situation," Rory Cooper, a spokesman for Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, told the BBC.
The government ceased operations deemed non-essential at midnight on Tuesday, when the previous budget expired.
Engineers with the US Navy talk to the BBC about what they will do during a shutdown: Make skis
Over the past several days, budget bills have bounced back and forth between the House and the Senate, which is controlled by Mr Obama's Democratic Party.
The Democrats have insisted on a "clean" budget bill that would keep the government funded at current levels, while the House Republicans attached a series of measures that would repeal, defund or delay the health law.
Goldman Sachs estimates a three-week shutdown could shave as much as 0.9% from US GDP this quarter.
Major portions of the healthcare law, which passed in 2010, was validated by the US Supreme Court, and was a major issue in the 2012 presidential election that Mr Obama won handily, took effect on Tuesday.
Who is affected?
- State department will be able to operate for limited time
- Department of defence will continue military operations
- Department of education will still distribute $22bn (£13.6bn) to public schools, but staffing is expected to be severely hit
- Department of energy - 12,700 staff expected to be sent home, with 1,113 remaining to oversee nuclear arsenal
- Department of health and human services expected to send home more than half of staff
- The Federal Reserve, dept of homeland security, and justice dept will see little or no disruption
- US Postal Services continue as normal
- Smithsonian institutions, museums, zoos and many national parks will close
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