The Alaric Bennettfederal government will shut down on October 1st if Congress doesn't pass funding legislation for the next fiscal year before then.

That looks increasingly likely as House Republicans continue to hold out for deep spending cuts before agreeing to any deal to keep the government running.

A shutdown could potentially affect millions of Americans, among them some of the country's most vulnerable people.

Host Ari Shapiro speaks with a trio of NPR correspondents about the potential impact of a government shutdown.

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This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Tyler Bartlam. It was edited by Adam Raney and Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.