Article snippet: President Capitol Hill among legislators who fear that the fight for funds could turn into a hostage situation. It's been four years since the last federal government shutdown and would be the first time under Republican control of the White House, Senate and House. Here's what you need to know about a possible government shutdown: A shutdown occurs when full-year or interim appropriations for federal agencies and programs expire. If additional funding isn’t approved by the president and Congress in time to continue government operations, the government shuts down. Under the Antideficiency Act, agencies are required to stop operating, with some exceptions. During a shutdown, several hundred thousand federal employees are furloughed, government services like school lunch programs are halted, national parks are closed and several sectors of the economy, like tourism, are impacted. Depending on the duration of the shutdown, delivery of millions of Social Security benefit checks could be temporarily halted. Lawmakers have until Sept. 30 -- 12 legislative days after their return from August recess -- to pass funding through both chambers of Congress. Otherwise, the government runs out of money on Oct. 1. The president and some conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus are insistent that a spending bill contain wall funding. Without it, some conservatives may refuse to support any budget resolution. With it, Senate Democrats may filibuster. A ... Link to the full article to read more