Some KY leaders point fingers, others throw up their hands as funding failure triggers shutdown

At the heart of the split between the two parties is a dispute over Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. Democrats, such as Kentucky Congressman Morgan McGarvey, are laying the blame on Republicans.

"Republicans made tax breaks for billionaires permanent, but they're letting our healthcare tax credits expire," he said, explaining his party's sense of urgency. "When healthcare costs are already crazy expensive, they're going to get more expensive unless we act."

Meanwhile, many Republicans see the culprit across the aisle.

"The socialists are in charge of the Democratic Party," Rep. Andy Barr told Fox News. "(Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer has a political problem. It's his problem that he's willing to prioritize above what's good for the country, which is to keep the government open and operating, but he's afraid of his far-left flank."

And finally there are Kentucky Republicans who see plenty of blame to spread around. Sen. Rand Paul has blasted both plans, saying neither party appears interested in reining in deficit spending.

"I'm a 'no' on both of them because I want to quit adding debt, balance our budget, reduce spending," he said. "I'm not for anything unless it actually spends less this year than we spent last year."

As for the effect on Kentuckians, the Lexington Herald-Leader notes — while some services including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and the Postal Service will continue operation — SNAP and WIC benefits could be disrupted depending on how long it takes to undo the logjam in D.C.