The US government shut down large parts of its operations on Wednesday after bitter partisan divisions blocked a funding agreement between Congress and the White House, triggering what could become a drawn-out standoff with the potential loss of thousands of federal jobs.

With no clear path to a resolution, federal agencies warned that the shutdown --the 15th since 1981-- would delay the release of the September employment report, disrupt air travel, suspend scientific research, withhold pay from US troops, and furlough about 750,000 federal workers at a cost of roughly $400 million per day.

Lawmakers on both sides have long acknowledged that shutdowns inflict more harm than good, calling them politically toxic and economically damaging for ordinary Americans.

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