Every two (or four, not sure) years Congress has to approve a budget, and if they can't approve it by the end of the fiscal year then the federal government shuts down; all gov' offices are closed and approx 800,000 people will be out of work. The last time it happened it went on for almost a month, I think. The problem is, the Dems and Reps disagree on what programs should be cut to save money, as usual.