The United States government entered a shutdown early Wednesday after President Donald Trump and congressional leaders failed to reach a funding deal, deepening partisan tensions in Washington.

The shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. (0401 GMT) after a last-ditch effort in the Senate to pass a short-term spending bill approved by the House of Representatives ended without success. The deadlock, driven largely by disagreements over health care funding, will halt operations across several federal departments and agencies.

Republicans and Democrats quickly traded blame over the impasse, which is expected to affect hundreds of thousands of federal employees and millions of Americans who rely on government services.

Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, said he planned to use the shutdown to push through spending cuts targeting Democratic priorities.

“So we’d be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected. And they’re Democrats, they’re going to be Democrats,” he said. He added that “a lot of good can come down from shutdowns,” suggesting the pause would help eliminate programs he opposes.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer posted a midnight video of the Capitol clock ticking down, accusing Republicans of triggering the crisis. “The Republican shutdown has just begun because Republicans wouldn’t protect America’s health care,” he said. “We are going to keep fighting for the American people.”

Essential services such as the Postal Service, the military, and welfare programs like Social Security and food stamps will continue to operate. However, up to 750,000 federal workers may be furloughed daily without pay until the shutdown ends, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

This is the first government shutdown since the record-breaking 35-day stoppage during Trump’s previous term nearly seven years ago.

Negotiations had been stalling since Monday, when a White House meeting failed to yield any breakthrough. Democrats, now in the minority in both chambers of Congress, have been pushing for hundreds of billions of dollars in restored health care spending, especially for low-income households under Obamacare—funding the Trump administration has moved to eliminate.

Republicans, meanwhile, proposed extending current funding levels until late November to allow more time for broader negotiations. But Democrats blocked a House-passed seven-week stopgap measure just hours before the deadline, citing unmet demands.

The political fallout was swift. House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X, formerly Twitter, accusing Schumer of prolonging the shutdown. “Results: Moms and kids now lose WIC nutrition. Veterans lose health care and suicide prevention programs. FEMA has shortfalls during hurricane season. Soldiers and TSA agents go UNPAID,” he posted.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris also weighed in, writing that Republicans were fully in control of the White House and Congress. “This is their shutdown,” she said.

The duration of the shutdown remains uncertain. Since 1976, the U.S. federal government has shut down 21 times, with the longest beginning on December 22, 2018, during Trump’s first term amid a fight over funding for a border wall.