From VOA Learning English,this is In the News.This week,a political dispute in Washington led toa partial shutdown of the United States governmentfor the first time in almost 20 years.Agencies sent home more than 800,000 workers-- about one-third of the federal work force.The new budget year began Tuesday, October 1.But Republicans in Congress blockedeven short-term spending for many government operations.They demanded that Democrats change the Affordable Care Act,the new health care law often called Obamacare.The Democrats refused.The shutdown did not stop Tuesday's launch ofonline marketplaces, called exchanges,at the center of the law.The federal government and states started websitesfor millions of uninsured Americansto buy health plans or pay a tax penalty.Opponents of Obamacare sayit will force people and small businessesto buy insurance policies against their will.At the heart of the dispute is a clashbetween the two major political partiesover the role of the central government in American life.The political fighting between Democrats and Republicansbegan to intensify during the 1990s.That followed the election of Democrat Bill Clinton as president.Differences over spending and the role of governmentled to two government shutdowns.The disputed presidential election of 2000brought Republican George W. Bush to office.University of Virginia expert Larry Sabato saysthe political battles only deepened during his second term."There is no question that the polarization increased firstwith the Bush presidency,because of the Iraq war and his handling of Hurricane Katrina.Then it accelerated once President Obama was elected."The divide grew wider when President Barack Obamapushed his health care reform law through Congress in 2010without a single Republican vote.That in turn helped to fuel the rise of Tea Party groupsaround the country.The Tea Party is a conservative voting groupwithin the Republican Party.Republicans have made several attemptsto either defund the Affordable Care Act or delay it.The law is one of the most important acts of Barack Obama's presidency.Peter Brown of Quinnipiac University in Connecticut studies public opinion."Republicans like smaller government and lower government spendingand therefore are more opposed to Obamacare.Democrats tend to be more supportivein general of government solutions to problems,and they see Obamacare as the right thing to doto help on the health care issue."Currently, Republicans control the House of Representatives;Democrats hold the Senate and the White House.A group of conservative Republicans in the Househave been leading the opposition to the health care law.Many of them now depend on strong supportfrom Tea Party activists to get elected.Larry Sabato says many of them are willing, at least for now,to accept the political blame for forcing the government to shut down."They will pay a bigger price,but they seem willing to pay it in partbecause most of their members are in completely safe districts.The only thing they have to worry aboutis a challenge from the right in the Republican primary.So they do not want to let anybody get to their right."For the moment, Larry Sabato sees no quick end to the shutdown.Political observer Charlie Cook says some of the Republican oppositionis also driven by deep feelings against President Obama."There are a lot of Republicans where if President Obama said ‘up,'they would say ‘down.'The last politically driven government shutdownbegan in December of 1995. It lasted three weeks.And right now there is another issue.Congress will soon have to raise the borrowing limitor risk the United States not being able to make all of its loan payments.Congress must renew the government's powerto borrow money by October 17 or risk a first-ever federal default.And that's In the News from VOA Learning English.