Images from the U.S. where a stand-off between Republicans and the White House over funding the government forced the temporary lay-off of hundreds of thousands of federal workers from October 1 and created concern that crisis-driven politics was the "new normal" in Washington.
America Ends Government Shutdown, 17 October 2013

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U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) (R) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) appear at a news conference after passage of stopgap budget and debt legislation at the U.S. Capitol.

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People protest against the government shutdown and potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles.

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Speaker of the House John Boehner emerges from a meeting with Republican House members in the U.S. Capitol, October 16, 2013.

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Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks to reporters in the U.S. Capitol in Washington October 16, 2013.