US Government Shuts Down After Senate Fails to Pass Spending Bill

The United States government has partially shut down after Democrats and Republicans in the Senate failed to agree on stopgap spending measures before the midnight deadline. Funding for federal operations expired at 00:01 EDT on Wednesday, halting non-essential services such as loan approvals for small businesses and the release of economic data. Essential workers, including military personnel, law enforcement officers, and air traffic controllers, will remain on duty but without pay.