After members of Congress failed to approve a funding bill late Tuesday night, the federal government began to partially shut down Wednesday.

Federal agencies and programs in most cases are not allowed to spend money without authorization from Congress. As the federal fiscal year expired at midnight Tuesday, the U.S. Senate Democrats and Republicans remained deadlocked on two dueling proposals that would have extended funding, the States Newsroom reported.

As a result, many federal workers and programs will be suspended until a funding plan is approved, with exceptions for the military, the Department of Homeland Security, and Transportation Security Administration and air traffic controllers — although these employees will be working without pay. Mail services and Social Security checks

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