Shutdown pain spikes this weekend, upping pressure on Congress to strike deal

After four weeks when the real-world impacts of the budget impasse have been relatively limited, a series of deadlines governing a range of programs will converge at the turn of the month to send the effects of the shutdown well beyond the Beltway.

The D-Day moment, which hits this weekend, is poised to wallop groups as varied as military troops, patients on ObamaCare, kids in Head Start, and low-income families on food stamps.

The combination will affect tens of millions of people, sending shockwaves into every congressional district and heightening the pressure on Congress to come together and secure the elusive deal to end the deadlock.