For the reigning super power and the largest economy in the world, it's an egg-on-your-face moment.

For the first time in 17 years, the U.S. government shut down as its democratically-elected politicians could not come to an agreement over a spending bill. This stalemate closed non-essential services, sending 800,000 federal workers home without pay as lawmakers bickered about who was to blame. The shutdown could cost the economy about $1 billion a week.

The clash between Republicans and Democrats rages over the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the signature health care law of U.S. President Barack Obama.

What happened

At 12:01 a.m. ET Tuesday, without an agreement in sight between the two parties, the U.S. government shut down.

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