Negotiations on a sweeping free trade pact between the US and the EU have been postponed because of the partial government shutdown in America.
US officials had been due in Brussels next week to discuss the deal aimed at boosting bilateral ties.
US President Barack Obama earlier cancelled his trip to Asia because of the shutdown.
The US government closed non-essential operations on Tuesday after Congress failed to agree a new budget, the BBC reports.
Since then hundreds of thousands of government employees have not been working or paid.
On Friday, US trade representative Michael Froman informed the EU that financial and staffing constraints made it impossible to send a full negotiating team to Brussels.
But he stressed that Washington would continue working with the EU on drawing up the deal, but would have to wait until the shutdown was over.
