US government shutdown begins as nation faces new period of uncertainty

First shutdown in nearly seven years as Republicans accused of ‘risking America’s healthcare’ in spending bill

Security fencing shown around the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 16, 2021. Picture: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

The US government shut down on Wednesday, after congressional Democrats refused to support a Republican plan to extend funding for federal departments unless they won a series of concessions centered on healthcare.

The GOP, which controls the Senate and the House of Representatives, repudiated their demands, setting off a legislative scramble that lasted into the hours before funding lapsed at midnight, when the Senate failed to advance both parties’ bills to keep funding going.