WASHINGTON ‒ The federal government shut down at midnight as President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats blamed each other for failing to reach an agreement in a bitter standoff over funding the government.

It marks the 15th government shutdown since 1981, and there’s no immediate end in sight as congressional Democrats demand health-care policy changes that Trump and Republicans have refused to entertain.

Looming over the fight is the threat of mass layoffs, with Trump saying "vast numbers" of federal workers could be terminated. The White House Office of Management and Budget said in a recent email that workers whose activities are “not consistent with the President’s priorities” are a target, and Vice President JD Vance told reporters that the administration will "hav

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