The US government shut down at midnight after Congress failed to agree on a funding deal, with Republicans and Democrats clashing over extra subsidies for Obamacare. Federal workers are the most affected, as layoffs are expected soon, though essential services will continue. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democrats in Congress for the shutdown of the US government. She said House Republicans had already passed a short-term funding bill to keep the government running until November 21, but most Senate Democrats voted against it. According to her, this bill was similar to one Democrats themselves had approved earlier in March, only adjusted for inflation.

The federal government plans to cancel billions of dollars in climate funding, mostly in Democratic-led states. Earlier, Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office that a lot of good can come from shutdowns, and hinted that the shutdown could be used as an opportunity to “get rid of a lot of things we didn’t want.