Washington, Oct. 1 -- The US federal government entered a shutdown at the start of Wednesday as partisan divisions prevented Congress from passing a funding bill, which marks the first government shutdown in nearly seven years.
Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be forced to take unpaid leave, with some public services potentially suspended or delayed, and the release of economic data possibly impacted as well.
The shutdown commenced hours after the US Senate failed to pass a short-term spending bill that would have temporarily kept the government running. The continuing resolution proposed by Senate Republicans was blocked by Democrats, falling short of the 60 votes required for passage.
In the latest negotiations, healthca...