The United States government has entered its first shutdown in nearly seven years after the Senate failed to agree on legislation to extend federal funding.
The closure, which took effect at 12:01am on Wednesday, is expected to furlough or temporarily lay off hundreds of thousands of federal employees across the country.
The deadlock came after Senate Democrats rejected a stopgap funding bill passed by the House, which would have kept the government operating for another seven weeks.
Republicans, in turn, refused to enter negotiations on an alternative, leaving both chambers at a standstill.
Senators will reconvene later on Wednesday, though prospects for a swift resolution remain uncertain.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed hope that Democrats might reconsider their stance in order to reopen the government quickly.
But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer signalled no intention to retreat, arguing that Republicans must agree to talks. “They’ve got to sit down and negotiate with Democrats to come to a bill that both parties can support,” Schumer said. Democrats have made the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits a key demand in the negotiations.
In the meantime, federal agencies have been instructed to execute shutdown contingency plans. Trump’s budget office issued a letter from Director Russ Vought minutes after the failed vote, directing employees to report to work on Wednesday to carry out “orderly shutdown activities.”
