Washington, Oct 1

The White House Office of Management and Budget late Monday night ordered the federal agencies to begin their plans for a government shutdown, due to a lack of bipartisan funding bill, reported Xinhua.

"We do not have a clear indication that Congress will act in time for the President to sign a continuing resolution before the end of the day tomorrow, Oct 1, 2013. Therefore, agencies should now execute plans for an orderly shutdown due to the absence of appropriations," said Sylvia Burwell, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, in a statement.

"We urge Congress to act quickly to pass a continuing resolution to provide a short-term bridge that ensures sufficient time to pass a budget for the remainder of the fiscal year, and to restore the operation of critical public services and programs that will be impacted by a lapse in appropriations," she added.

This is the first US government shutdown in 17 years. The last time the government shut down was in 1996 during budget standoff between the Clinton administration and a Republican-controlled Congress.

By:IANS