It's official. The United States is in a shutdown after members of Congress failed to reach an agreement to keep the federal government running.

The impact of a shutdown tends to be wide and varied, typically. But we're not in a time of "typical" politics. President Donald Trump has already promised to step up the Republican effort to shrink government through staff firings.

But today, we want to ask the USA TODAY Opinion readers a question that our fearless leaders will be tripping over themselves to answer. Take part in our latest Forum for a chance for your comments to be used in a follow-up post.

Who do you blame for the shutdown?

Why do you think the government shut down today?

Republicans, who control all of the government, will say congressional Democrats are to blame because they decided to stand their ground in an attempt to protect health care.

Democrats will probably say there is no way to work with the GOP, which has shown zero interest in bipartisanship this whole year.

What do you say? Take our poll below, or send us an email to forum@usatoday.com with the subject line "Forum Government Shutdown." I'll get you started with a few questions:

  • Do you care about the government shutdown? Why or why not?
  • Which political party do you blame?
  • Do you think our elected leaders will eventually work together?
  • If you are a Republican, do you agree with how the GOP has handled this?
  • If you are a Democrat, do you wish your party leaders had voted to prevent the shutdown?

Louie Villalobos is the director of Opinion for Gannett. You'll find him waiting to see if our elected leaders can get over themselves long enough to stop hurting Americans.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats and Republicans failed to avoid a shutdown. Who do you blame? Tell us. | Opinion

Reporting by Louie Villalobos, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect