As of midnight, the federal government began shutting down after the U.S. Senate failed to pass a Republican bill to keep the government at existing funding levels through Nov. 21.

Inevitably, this will set up an intense period of finger pointing and political jockeying to assign blame. Meanwhile, federal services will begin to be curtailed and furloughs of employees will begin. The Office of Budget and Management has threatened to layoff thousands of workers if the shutdown came to pass.

About 750,000 federal employees ranging from workers at national parks to financial regulators could be furloughed under a shutdown, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office , withholding about $400 million in daily compensation, USA TODAY reports.

Other workers in government s

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