Cross– The U.S. government is set to shut down next weekend unless Congress manages to strike a last-minute agreement to pass a funding bill before the March 14 deadline. The uncertain situation has left many Americans anxiously wondering how a potential government shutdown would impact them.

Large swaths of the U.S. government would be forced to stop operating at midnight on March 14 if Congress does not pass detailed spending legislation that would keep agencies running.

A government shutdown crisis can seem like the "boy who cried wolf" story of American politics. Democrats and Republicans in Congress have come to the cusp of a shutdown repeatedly in recent years, only to avert disaster at the 11th hour with a mix of votes from both parties. But the story could get a new ending as soon as next week.