Government Shutdown Continues As Congress Remains In Stalemate (LATEST UPDATES)

The U.S. government entered its third day of a partial shutdown on Thursday, as members of Congress and President Barack Obama remained at an impasse on how to end the political stand-off over the budget.

On Wednesday evening, a meeting at the White House between Obama and congressional leaders failed to produce an agreement. The Associated Press reports:

With the nation's ability to borrow money soon to lapse, Republicans and Democrats alike said the shutdown that has idled an estimated 800,000 federal workers could last for two weeks or more, obliging a divided government to grapple with both issues at the same time.

The Republican-controlled House approved legislation to reopen the nation's parks and the National Institutes of Health, even though many Democrats criticized them as part of a piecemeal approach that fell far short of what was needed. The bills face dim prospects in the Senate, and the White House threatened to veto both in the unlikely event they make it to Obama's desk.

Below, the latest updates on the shutdown: