New Delhi, Oct. 1 -- The US Government officially shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday (October 1) after Congress and President Donald Trump failed to reach a funding deal. But unlike previous shutdowns, Trump is openly signaling that he may go further than temporary furloughs and use the closure to permanently shrink the federal workforce. Here are the key things you need to know:

In previous shutdowns, federal employees were mostly furloughed and later given back pay once funding was restored. This time, President Trump has suggested layoffs are on the table.

"When you shut it down you have to do layoffs, we'd be laying off a lot of people," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. He added that shutdowns could be used to elim...