While government shutdowns are messy and disruptive, the country has lived through them before. The U.S. government, on the other hand, has never had to go cold turkey on borrowed money. That's what would happen if Congress doesn't raise the nation's borrowing limit by Oct. 17.

The federal government shut down Tuesday, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed and many of the nation's landmarks closed. In the nation's capital, many of the memorials and museums that attract tourists are closed, and a lot of the regions workers find themselves with unexpected — and unpaid — time off.

About 19,000 children are affected by the government shutdown. Head Start programs across the country are being forced to shut down as they lose funding from the federal government. Audie Cornish talks to Dora Jones, the director of Cheaha Regional Head Start in Talladega, Ala. Her program is closed Tuesday because of the shutdown.

On the first day of the new health care marketplaces opening Tuesday, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is touting the benefits of the Affordable Care Act. This, even though he couldn't manage to convince his legislature that the state should run its own exchange, leaving Illinois to partner with the federal government.

Should the federal government shutdown continue for several more days, we're sure you'll have specific questions about how the government is working — or not working. Perhaps you're a federal worker, or maybe you rely on a government service. We want to know how the shutdown is affecting you and what you're worried about, or if you've been effected by past shutdowns and have wisdom to share. We could use a little free wisdom here in Washington. Click here to tell us your shutdown story , select "All Things Considered" in the drop down, and put "Shutdown Question" in your subject line.

For the first time in 17 years, the U.S. government has shut down. Some 800,000 federal workers are furloughed, though employees deemed essential are still on the job — but it's unclear if or when they'll be paid. President Obama lays the blame squarely at the feet of Congressional Republicans. House Republicans blame Obama.

House Republicans on Monday made the so-called Vitter Amendment one of their conditions to pass a spending bill. They describe it as an elimination of a special subsidy for Capitol Hill and executive branch staff. But a closer look shows it would essentially amount to a massive pay cut.

As day one of the government shutdown comes to a close, hear the latest on the government shutdown, including remarks by President Obama and others.

Melissa Block speaks with Republican Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania on ways to resolve the government shutdown.

Pentagon lawyers are still tinkering with funds and legal interpretations to figure out what services they can offer. One of the challenges for military families is figuring out what's open and closed.