Comicomment: Partisan standoff leaves U.S. government mired in shutdown

The U.S. federal government shut down at midnight on October 1, the first in nearly seven years, after the Senate failed to pass a stopgap funding bill. By October 9, both Democratic and Republican proposals had been rejected, leaving lawmakers deadlocked.

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed, public services are stalled, and economic data releases have been paused. The shutdown highlights the growing gridlock in Washington, as partisan standoffs leave Americans footing the bill.