The US government has shut down for the first time in almost seven years as politicians hold firm in a stand-off over federal funding.

The shutdown began just after midnight on Wednesday, local time, following Democrats and Republicans in the Senate voting down each other's stopgap measures to keep funding flowing.

While shutdowns have been a possibility since 1976, when Congress introduced the modern budget process, they've been a relatively rare occurrence.

Here's a look at how previous shutdowns have played out.

What is a government shutdown?

It's when government agencies across the nation are temporarily shuttered and staff are furloughed due to a lapse in federal funding.

The US government shutdown has begun. Here's what that means Photo shows A man looks down at his phone as

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