Thousands of federal workers face unpaid leave as US govt shuts down

The federal government officially shut down at midnight on Tuesday after Congress failed to pass a funding bill, marking the first government shutdown since 2019. The impasse has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees either furloughed or working without pay, national parks closed, and critical services, including immigration courts and federal lending to small businesses and homebuyers, suspended, as political leaders trade sharp accusations over who is to blame. At the heart of the crisis lies a deep partisan divide over healthcare policy and budget priorities. Republicans, who control the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives, pushed for a short-term continuing resolution to extend current funding levels for a further seven weeks. However, Democrats refused to...