The effects of a government shutdown are rippling across the country. Yesterday, federal workers stayed home from work, national parks prepared to close down and people seeking services from the federal government met a patchwork of availability and access.

In Washington, White House officials and Congressional leaders spent the day pointing blame in public while a small group of lawmakers in the Senate began talks about a potential offramp.

Congressional Republicans were quick to dub the funding lapse "The Schumer Shutdown" — in a dig at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., — and maintain that the government should be reopened before any bipartisan negotiations begin. Senate Democrats remained largely united in opposition to the short-term spending bill passed by the House earl

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