A deep impasse between Republican President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats has triggered the 15th U.S. government shutdown since 1981. Here's a look at what it will take to reopen the government.

Many federal government employees might be laid off after the Senate voted against resolutions to keep the government open while working on a new budget.

Democrats and Republicans didn't reach an agreement before the 11:59 p.m. deadline to avoid a government shutdown. It's unclear how long it will last.

The federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday after the Senate was unable to pass Democratic and Republican proposals on Tuesday.Both proposals fell short of the 60 votes needed to pass. The Democratic plan which would have restored $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts passed into law this summer on top of a permanent extension of the Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year,

The first government shutdown in nearly seven years began at midnight after lawmakers failed to reach a deal on extending funding.

It's unclear how long the shutdown will last, with the parties nowhere near an agreement. Democrats want health care money, while Republicans insist they won't be held "hostage.”

The federal government has officially shut down after a deadlocked Congress failed to pass a funding measure to keep the lights on – and no one inside the Capitol knows what will happen next.

Plunged into a government shutdown, the U.S. is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday’s deadline.