Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., center, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., left, make their way through a crush of reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013, after announcing to reporters that President Barack Obama has invited the top leaders in Congress to meet with him at the White House to seek a solution to the government shutdown crisis. A funding cutoff for much of the government began Tuesday as a Republican effort to kill or delay the nation’s health care law stalled action on a short-term, traditionally routine spending bill. Lawmakers in both parties have ominously suggested the partial shutdown might last for weeks. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
