So what happens if the government does shut down?

With the Republicans in the House doubling down on demanding defunding or at least postponing ObamaCare for a year in exchange for keeping the government running, it is almost certain the government is heading for a shutdown as of midnight Monday night.  How long is unsure - could be hours, days or weeks.

What happens in that case?  Just a few examples of what to expect - via Yahoo News:

• If you're one of the 800,000 federal workers who are deemed as non-essential, you will be directly affected immediately and not report to work.

• If you're applying for a passport or visa, you will likely be out of luck.

• First-time home buyers looking for a mortgage will be delayed because the Federal Housing Administration will be closed.

• The 401 national parks will be off-limits starting Tuesday morning.

• The biggest fear for hundreds of thousands of federal workers - and members of the military - will be if they receive back pay. In the last shutdown nearly two decades ago, workers received lost wages. That's not guaranteed this time.

• And finally -  a shutdown will cost, not save, taxpayers' money. A study from the non-partisan Office of Management and Budget puts the overall economic price tag for a shutdown around $2 billion.

It should be noted that never before in the history of the country has a budget bill been tied to repealing an existing law, i.e. ObamaCare.

Also, the last time the government shut down was 17 years ago and it cost the Republicans dearly at the following election.

Just saying...