After Congress late Tuesday failed to reach an agreement to prevent a federal government shutdown , funding for federal agencies ended at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

What that means is that while government offices continue to stay open for their most important operations, so-called nonessential work is suspended, paychecks are not issued and many workers are furloughed until Congress approves a new funding plan. President Donald Trump has amped up the threats this time around, saying he plans to fire employees , rather than just furlough them, a move he says will hurt Democrats.

It remains unclear how long the shutdown will last. A fter months of Republicans slashing and burning hundreds of billions of dollars from federal programs, as well as altering congressional norms , Democrats

See Full Page