Washington: Services that millions of Americans rely on were upended Wednesday, and many government functions ground to a halt as a bitter impasse between President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress over spending shut down much of the federal government for the first time in nearly seven years.

Critical services will continue to operate. The Postal Service will still deliver mail, and Social Security and Medicare will still send payments. But a sprawling mass of other federal functions has ceased.

Cleanup at some Superfund sites has stalled. Assistance for veterans transitioning to civilian life is on hold. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has halted communications to the public about health-related information. Some data collection and economic analysis, like the jobs

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