Government shutdown is bipartisan moral failure, says charity head

The government shutdown in the United States is hurting millions of vulnerable families, according to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA and represents "an egregious moral failure" by both of the country's main political parties.

The charity, which is one of the nation’s largest lay Catholic organisations serving people experiencing poverty and homelessness, is warning that “government doors are closed, but hunger will not wait” and “this week, millions of mothers are wondering how to feed their children”.