The federal government officially entered a shutdown at midnight on Wednesday after lawmakers were unable to reach a compromise on funding, marking the first lapse in nearly seven years. A temporary funding measure passed by House Republicans—which would have kept the government operating at current spending levels for seven more weeks—was blocked in the Senate. With no resolution before the deadline, funding expired across most federal agencies and departments as the clock struck 12. Beginning Wednesday morning, agencies will roll out shutdown protocols that include furloughing hundreds of thousands of federal employees. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that simply covering the cost of furloughed employees could reach approximately $400 million per day.