The federal government shutdown at midnight after a stalemate in Congress between the Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a resolve. The sparring political parties are locked in a bitter dispute over spending and enhanced Obamacare subsidies.

An eleventh-hour attempt to find common ground proved fruitless as almost all Senate Democrats voted to reject a House-passed Republican bill that would have extended funding until Nov. 21. The bill did not meet the Democrats’ core demand that Affordable Care Act subsidies, set to expire at the end of the year, should be extended.

This is the first closure of the government in almost seven years . The last occurred during President Donald Trump’s first term in late 2018, spurred by disagreements on federal funding for his wall along the Me

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