Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"Unable to reach agreement on federal spending levels, a dysfunctional Congress stumbled into the first government shutdown since the mid-1990s, grinding much of the federal bureaucracy to a halt for more than two weeks in October. The showdown was forced by a cadre of conservative Republicans, who sought to tie government funding to a bill to gut the Affordable Care Act. The 16-day impasse, which ended with a short-term deal that averted a debt default, torpedoed Republican approval ratings, slowed economic growth and ultimately cost some $24 billion, according to the credit agency Standard and Poor’s. While the political and economic fallout should prevent a repeat when funding deadlines expire in early 2014, the episode may have long-term ramifications. Moderate Republicans and business lobbies aligned with the GOP vowed to take a more aggressive posture against the Tea Party conservatives who spurred the shutdown, setting up a battle for the soul of the party that will define the 2014 midterm elections." [Time Top 10 U.S. News Stories 2013]