Congress members will stay at home to pass key government spending bills but a senior trade representative will lead a US delegation
The US government has shut down for the second time this year after Congress failed to reach a deal on the budget
The US debt jumped above $17-trillion for the first time in history, the Treasury Department said Friday.
What would a default by the US government on its $16-trillion debt mean?
Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Congress to end the partial government shutdown and think "hard" about the message it sends the world.