The United States has entered a federal government shutdown, the first in nearly seven years, after Senate Democrats blocked a Republican-backed funding bill. The impasse was triggered by deep partisan divisions over spending and health care, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed and government operations disrupted. The Senate vote on Tuesday night fell 55–45, short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster and pass the legislation, which would have extended federal funding for seven weeks. The bill’s defeat ensures a shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, as Democrats refused to back the measure without concessions on health care subsidies, while President Donald Trump and Republicans insisted on a “clean” continuing resolution. Since the 1977 fiscal year, the US go

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