Will there be a government shutdown? Senators warn 'time is short' as hardline Republicans demand cuts

While the House has yet to come back into session from its weeks-long summer break, the Senate, which returned Tuesday, has a gloomy outlook on Congress' odds of avoiding a government shutdown. 

“I’m convinced it’s happening,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., told reporters Wednesday, pointing to House conservatives who have downplayed the effects of a shutdown on Americans. “I just think there’s too many people that think there’s some benefit in that.” 

Government shutdowns play out differently, but they can have wide-ranging impacts from recipients of food assistance programs seeing delays to federal employees being furloughed.