ATLANTA - The federal government officially shut down after lawmakers in Washington failed to reach a funding agreement, marking the first shutdown in nearly seven years.

What we know:

While benefit checks and mail delivery will continue, hundreds of thousands of federal workers across the country are being furloughed. President Biden has suggested the furloughs could eventually lead to cuts in the federal workforce.

At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where roughly 1,200 Transportation Security Administration employees work, the mood was described as "somber." TSA union spokesperson Aaron Barker said agents reported for duty Wednesday knowing they would not be paid until the shutdown ends.

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