What's at stake in fiscal crisis

The shutdown continued into its third week as lawmakers struggled to find a solution.

2 days until Treasury said it will run out of money to pay its bills

$16.7 trillion current debt ceiling limit

$1 trillion amount Democrats want to raise debt ceiling. It would push expiration to December 2014, past midterm elections that November

450,000 federal workers idled at a range of agencies

Social Security and Medicare benefits continue to be paid out, but there could be delays in processing new disability applications. Unemployment benefits are also still going out.

The Social Security Administration is delaying the announcement of the size of next year's cost-of-living adjustment, which was supposed to be released Oct. 16. According to an analysis by the Associated Press, preliminary figures suggest next year's benefit increase will be roughly 1.5 percent. The increase will be small because consumer prices, as measured by the government, haven't gone up much the past year. For the second year in a row, it would be one of the lowest raises since automatic adjustments were adopted in 1975.

Federal courts, which have been using fees and other funds to operate since the shutdown began, likely will have enough money to operate until Oct. 17 and possibly Oct. 18. The Supreme Court, however, said its business will go on.

Veterans are still able to get health care through VA hospitals and outpatient clinics because Congress approved funding for VA health care programs one year in advance.

The department administers numerous benefits for veterans and survivors such as disability pay, pensions and tuition reimbursement. The VA has warned Congress that it will be unable to make next month's payments for those various benefits if the shutdown continues into late October. This would affect more than 5 million veterans.

Home buyers and sellers in rural areas face delays in closing on loans backed by the Department of Agriculture.

The military's 1.4 million active-duty personnel remain on duty. About half of the Defense Department's civilian employees were furloughed, but Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered nearly all 350,000 back on the job.

The FBI estimates that about 80 percent of its 35,000 employees are working and says it is prepared to meet immediate threats. However, activities are suspended for longer-term investigations.

The CIA furloughed a "significant" number of workers, but CIA Director John Brennan said he would begin bringing back employees deemed necessary to the CIA's core missions.