With a government shutdown nearing its second week, there were no signs of a new deal in Washington Sunday. But several leaders are speaking out about the impasse, even as they look ahead to the next battle: an Oct. 17 deadline to raise the U.S. debt ceiling.

Starting Oct. 17, the Treasury will not be able to borrow money to pay the government's bills unless Congress raises the debt ceiling. Some conservative Republicans see the debt ceiling as the best chance at making the president blink on Obamacare. Weekend Edition Sunday host Rachel Martin speaks with NPR White House correspondent Scott Horsley about the debt ceiling.

This weekend, the Miramar Air Show in San Diego was cancelled due to the federal government shutdown. The show is a boon to the region's economy, drawing nearly half a million people.

Not everyone is grumpy about the shutdown. The situation makes for timely comic fodder, especially at Twitter hashtags such as #governmentshutdownpickuplines.

By a slight margin, Americans think Republicans are to blame for the government shutdown, says Michael Dimock, director of the Pew Research Center for People and the Press. Dimock talks to host Rachel Martin about how the public is responding to the standoff in Congress.

As the federal government shutdown continues, national parks across the country remain closed to visitors. That includes the famous Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania. But this year is the 150th anniversary of the battle that many historians consider the turning point of the Civil War. And Gettysburg is fighting to keep some of the crowds coming, even without federal funds.

The plan will bring hundreds of thousands of workers back to work next week. News of the recall comes hours after the House of Representatives passed a bill approving back pay for 800,000 federal workers idled by the government shutdown.

Federal workers who were furloughed by a government shutdown will receive back pay once they return to work, if a bill passed by the House of Representatives Saturday meets Senate approval. The White House has said it favors such a move.

State Del. Melony Griffith says she will run for state Senate seat that is currently held by fellow Democrat Ulysses Currie.

"There are enough votes in the House of Representatives to make sure that the government reopens today," President Obama told The Associated Press. The shutdown has idled some 800,000 federal workers.