Obama stand-off will paralyse US: Country faces prospect of first shutdown in 17 years in bitter row over President's health reforms The House of Representatives approved a bill to attack Obamacare to delay the new healthcare law for a year The Democrat-controlled Senate however pledged to block the law when it meets today President Obama insists he will not see his healthcare reforms gutted The last shut down in 1995-1996 cost more than $1billion America faces its first government shutdown in 17 years amid dispute over healthcare reforms America faces its first government shutdown in 17 years from midnight tonight as Republicans and Democrats fight bitterly over Barack Obama's healthcare reforms. Under pressure from hardline members tied to the Tea Party movement, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives is using a government funding bill to attack the adoption of the controversial new policy, called "Obamacare." The House approved the bill yesterday on the proviso that it delays the new healthcare law for a year and repeals a tax meant to pay for it. But, even before the House voted for the amendment yesterday following an angry debate in which members shouted each other down, the Democrat-controlled Senate pledged to block it when it meets today - making a shutdown all but inevitable. Mr Obama has insisted he will not see his healthcare reforms - his biggest domestic achievement- gutted. If this happens, overall funding to government departments - due by an October 1 deadline - will not go through. More than 800,000 federal staff deemed non-essential - including park rangers and passport officials - will be put on forced unpaid leave. Millions more may have to work unpaid to keep critical services such as border patrol and air traffic control running. A spokesman for the President accused the Republicans of being "reckless and irresponsible" and other Democrats said the opposition was putting contempt for the President above the good of the country. But Republican campaigners insisted they have the public on their side and claimed the health law that will reduce the quality of medical care and cost jobs by forcing employers to provide healthcare. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives hurry up the outer steps to the chamber before the door is secured for a series of votes on Saturday night Republican representative Robert Pittenger said Americans dislike "this crazy, delusional idea that nationalised, centralised planning will work." If the government shutdown goes ahead military personnel will still be paid, but half the Pentagon's civilian staff will be temporarily laid off, prompting Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel to claim US military capability would be weakened. "This is an astoundingly irresponsible way to govern," he said. If this continues, we will have a country that is ungovernable. Millions may have to work unpaid as critical services such as border patrol, air traffic control and meat inspection continued to function. The last shutdown, in 1995 to 1996, cost the US more than $1 billion and seriously dented the popularity of the Republicans, who were principally blamed. Their slump in the polls helped Democrat Bill Clinton win a second presidential term. But with Obama flailing in the polls and increasingly being seen as a lame duck president, many Republicans feel he is particularly vulnerable now. The Republicans are still threatening to stop the government borrowing any more money, potentially leading the US to default on its debts, something Obama has warned would have a "profound destabilising effect" on the world economy. They say they will only agree to increase the government's debt ceiling if the White House agrees to a string of conservative demands such as delaying Obamacare and green-lighting a major new oil pipeline. The Congress has only weeks to reach agreement after the Treasury Department announced last week that the government will reach its borrowing limit by October 17.