At a about a 11:45 p.m. on Sept. 30, the director of the Office of Management and Budget sent out the directive and the first federal government shutdown in 17 years took effect at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 1 after House Republicans and Senate Democrats could not agree on a spending bill. The shutdown lasted for 16 days, forcing 1.3 million federal workers to report for duty without pay and furloughing hundreds of thousands of others as government-run facilities, including national parks and monuments, were temporarily closed. The U.S. Budget Office estimated the shutdown cost taxpayers $2 billion. For more U.S. News & World Report coverage of the shutdown, click the links below.