in january, republicans making budget kits their priority. in march $85 billion in automatic federal spending cuts passed by the previous congress went into effect. ats were highly kr-- democrats critical of the cuts but originally agreed to go along with the deal. >> this is senseless to go on with these cuts. >> reporter: but partisan battles ensued and as in recent years, the government was funded through a series of short-term spending bills, paving the way for the first government shutdown in 16 years when house republicans refused to fund the government until key provisions in the president's health care law were stripped. >> it tries to masquerade as something positive. >> reporter: just weeks later after the country nearly defaulted on its loan obligation for the first time in history