民主黨和共和黨都將華盛頓的政治僵局歸咎于對方，總統巴拉克·奧巴馬稱國會的共和黨必須允許就無條件撥款法案進行表決。
共和黨稱目前的僵局是因為總統奧巴馬拒絕協商，而政府目前仍在關閉中。眾議院多數派領袖埃裡克·坎托將問題歸咎於不妥協。
“這與領導權無關，而是態度問題，對方不願意坐下來與我們協商，這樣政府就關門了。”
總統奧巴馬將共和黨的要求比作人質劫持者的要求，“我不願意為政府開門而支付贖金，我當然不願意為了提高債務限額而支付贖金。”
挫折感已經達到最高點，眾議院議長約翰·博納表達自己的不滿，“這並不是遊戲，美國人民不希望政府關門，我也不希望。”
週六眾議院投票決定，所有聯邦員工的薪水將在國會恢復撥款後到位。但政府雇員們不知道薪水何時發放，他們要求國會有所作為。
聯邦員工Tracey School說，“我有一家子要養活，如果影響到我，那麼我會很艱難的。”
與另一場即將來臨的財政危機相比，關門僵局似乎不算什麼，這場危機就是提高聯邦政府的借債限額。除非國會同意下周提高借債限額，那麼美國將面臨債務違約和信用降級的風險。
WASHINGTON — A partial U.S. government shutdown is heading into a second week with no end in sight. Partisan rhetoric in Washington is becoming more strident by the day, with major political players sticking to hardened stances that seem to offer little short-term hope of resuming federal funding.
Democrats and Republicans both insist it is up to the other to end Washington’s political stalemate. President Barack Obama says congressional Republicans must allow a vote on a no-strings funding bill.
Republicans say the stand-off stems from President Obama’s refusal to negotiate while the government remains closed. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor blames it on intransigence.
“That is not leadership. It is that attitude, that unwillingness to sit down and talk to us that has brought about this shutdown,” said Cantor.
President Obama likens Republican demands to those of hostage-takers. “I will not pay a ransom in exchange for reopening the government. And I certainly will not pay a ransom in exchange for raising the debt ceiling,” he said.
Frustrations have reached a boiling point. House Speaker John Boehner voiced his discontent. “This is not some damn game. The American people do not want their government shut down, and neither do I,” said Boehner.
Saturday, the House of Representatives voted to retroactively pay all federal workers once the shutdown ends. But government employees do not know when paychecks will resume, prompting demands for congressional action.
“I have a family to take care of, and it is real to me and you are affecting me, and it is hard,” said Tracey School, a federal worker.
The shutdown impasse could be overshadowed by another looming fiscal crisis: the need to raise the federal borrowing limit. The United States risks a debt default and a credit downgrade unless Congress agrees to raise the debt ceiling next week.
