US public services face shutdown as Congress stalls on budget

Rubbish will pile up in the streets of Washington DC and the Statue of Liberty will close if the US Congress fails to reach a budget deal tonight and the government shuts down.

Services that are deemed as non-essential run out of funding at midnight local time, without an agreement between Republicans and Democrats on spending for the rest of the fiscal year.

Some 800,000 employees will be sent home without pay when federal agencies close indefinitely.